Changes in Heart
by Lexi Lupin
Summary: DOESN'T follow HBP or DH...starts in summer after 5th year. NOT HG/SS Snape learns at the last minute of an attempt to kidnap Hermione & a growing friendship complicates Hogwarts life for Hermione. COMPLETE- Sequel- What Once Was HG/SS
1. Chapter 1

**April 2013- IMPORTANT A/N: This is an old story- like, embarrassingly, way early in my FF-writing career old. I don't know how people are still stumbling across it but I'm still getting reviews on it so I feel the need to add this: **

**THIS IS NOT A HG/SS ROMANCE. I cannot make this any clearer. It says it in the summary so I don't know why so many of you are getting to the end shocked and appalled. **

**Its sequel (which I personally think is a heckuva lot better, maybe because I didn't start writing it in junior high) is called What Once Was- that ****_is_****- let me repeat, ****_is_**** a romance ****_eventually_****. This one was never under the guise of being such. Please be aware of that and understand that it is categorized under the characters of Snape and Hermione because they are, in fact, ****_the two main characters_****. It is not categorized under romance at all and at no point do I claim it to be such. **

**Thank you. **

"That's it then. Cancel the kitchen scraps for lepers and orphans, no more merciful beheadings, and call off Christmas!"

Sheriff of Nottingham, **Robin Hood**

(man, I love Alan Rickman)

A/N: Okay…here goes…the beginnings of a whole new story! Yay!

Let's see…anything needing pointed out? YES!

PLEASE NOTE: This story **_DOES NOT_** FOLLOW THE EVENTS IN HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. I have been formulating this story in my mind for, frankly, a year at least, and the latest book kind of screwed with that…so, since I'm just getting around to writing it, sorry, bummer, deal with it. (Nice, aren't I?)

Also- realize that this takes place starting with summer after 5th year…three weeks into it or so.

So, with no further ado:

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is the fantabulous work of the genius of JK Rowling…unfortunately, not me. I'm just a 16 year old girl waitin' to finish high school. Alas.

**Chapter 1**

Hermione Granger dragged herself off the couch and away from the horribly written, directed, and performed TV movie, barely awake and ready to go to bed. She pulled herself up the stairs to her bedroom, stopping in the bathroom to brush her teeth. She slipped in to her pajamas-silky pants with a button up shirt, both blue with clouds- and began her trek across her room, the floor obscured by numerous books she had been reading when-

**CRACK!**

A cloaked, masked, dark figure apparated into her bedroom. Hermione whirled around, recognizing him as a Death Eater, one of the servants of Voldemort. She realized, frantically, that her wand was buried in her trunk on the other side of the room and she would have no chance of getting it without the Death Eater realizing what she was doing. He pulled out a knife and began to stalk closer to her when-

**CRACK!**

A second figure apparated into the room behind Hermione, stopping the first just a few feet away from her. She didn't even have time to turn and see who it was before strong hands grabbed her around her waist and across her mouth. She twisted frantically in his grip but with no wand, was helpless. She felt herself begin to turn with the figure as the first Death Eater raised the knife reflexively, making a long but shallow cut across her stomach. Moments later, the room disappeared entirely. Hermione barely had time to realize she was experiencing her first bout of side-along apparition before it was over. She was dragged across a hallway and through a door and thrown into a room. As she regained her footing, the person let go of her. She turned to see who it was and was just able to register that it was another Death Eater before he was gone again, back out the door, which seemed to meld with the wall. She heard a faint _crack,_ signifying he had apparated yet again.

Hermione was completely befuddled. Obviously this hadn't been planned between the two Death Eaters, the first was as completely surprised by the second's sudden appearance as she had been. She waited for apprehensively for a few moments, more shocked and terrified than she could remember being in a long time. When it became apparent that the Death Eater wasn't coming back immediately however, she decided to check out her surroundings and see if there was a way out of the room.

As she took in her surroundings, she became increasingly confused. Expecting to be in some dungeon or torture chamber characteristic of Voldemort, she was instead in a clean, comfortable-looking but sparsely decorated bedroom. There was a door to her left and she headed for it eagerly, hoping for an escape route- only to be disappointed to discover it was merely a bathroom. She walked dejectedly back in to the bedroom, anxiety and desperation building with each passing minute. She ran her hands over the section of wall that had formerly been a door, looking for any kind of release trigger but not being hopeful in her search. She waved a hand in front of the door, but nothing happened. It was undoubtedly revealed and opened by a secret password like the entrance to Gryffindor Tower at Hogwarts.

Hermione backed away from the wall, studying it, trying to use that common sense she was so famous for at school.

"Alright, if I were a Death Eater and I wanted a password for a room to hold people captive in," she muttered, "I would want it to be something like…"

She trailed off, not really sure just what a Death Eater would use as a password.

"Filthy mudblood?" She suggested hopefully. The door, however, remained unseen.

"Erm…death to Harry Potter?" She wasn't really trying but one never knew, right?

"Blast it- Open Sesame!" she declared jokingly. To her amazement, the door reappeared! She barely had time to bask in her cleverness before it opened from the other side.

Hermione backed further in the room as the masked Death Eater advanced on her, wand in hand. When he passed the doorframe it melded back into the wall once more. She had nowhere to go, completely defenseless, her arms wrapped across the shallow knife wound to her abdomen. As she bumped into the back wall, she closed her eyes, ready for the _cruciatus_ curse, or possibly straight to _Avada Kedavra_.

But neither came. She looked up as the Death Eater was lowering his wand.

"Honestly, Miss Granger. Open Sesame?"

Hermione could only stare in shock as her Hogwarts potions professor pulled off his mask, sneering slightly at her choice in password attempts.

"What- but- how on earth…?"

"You really should learn how to form a proper sentence, you sound like a blithering idiot." Hermione opted, instead, for silence. Snape's tone became suddenly more urgent. "Where are your parents?" he asked.

"My- my parents?" She asked, not understanding.

"Yes, you foolish girl! Your parents. Mother and Father?"

"They're out of town," Hermione said carefully, suddenly suspicious. She didn't want to reveal to closely their location.

"Thank you," Snape said snidely, "And they are due back…?"

"In a few days," Hermione finished for him.

"I'm afraid it's going to be longer than that now," Snape said. "And when would you next expect them to attempt to contact you?"

"Around ten a.m. They call every morning."

"Good, that gives us some time," muttered Snape.

"Time for…?"

"Use your common sense, Granger, for Merlin's sake! If Death Eaters continue to attempt to locate you, which they will, they don't take to failure easily, they'll use any means necessary to get hold of you. Which includes somehow wrestling the information from your parents. As long as they are away and do not attempt to contact the house, they should remain hidden. To be perfectly honest, a better night could not have been chosen to try to abduct you." Hermione stared incredulously. "Had your parents been home, they would probably be dead or captives of The Dark Lord by now."

Hermione paled. Then suspicion struck her again. "Well hang on!" she said indignantly. "You were dressed as one of them, _surely_ someone will find out it was you."

"Which is why I spent the last ten minutes obliviating the minds of the Death Eater in the house and the Death Eater who told me of the planned attack. As far as he'll remember, he was with me until an hour from now, I couldn't possibly be suspected."

"Ah…right," Hermione said faintly, hardly paying attention anymore. The room had begun to spin a little and she reached out one arm, revealing her wound, to grab the nearest bed post. Snape frowned at her.

"You're hurt," he observed. "Silly girl, why didn't you mention sooner? How did that happen?"

"The other Death Eater," she muttered. "He had a knife. As you spun me to apparate, he got me. It's not deep, really, I'll be fine." Snape sighed.

"No, I doubt that. It's probably laced with something," he continued to her inquisitive look. "A sedative, something of that sort. Probably not dangerous, but we'll need to be sure." He went into the connected bathroom and opened a cabinet, pulling out a few bottles, a washcloth and a basin.

"You just happened to have everything in there you needed, nothing more?" Hermione asked curiously, as he had removed everything from within the cabinet.

"It's designed that way," he explained. "You are familiar with the Room of Requirement, I daresay?" She nodded. "It works under much the same principle, but it takes things from my own stores in my lab." He glanced at her bloodstained shirt. "You'll need to remove that and lie down."

It took her a few moments to register what she had said as she was preoccupied with the previous answer.

"Ex-excuse me?" she spluttered.

"Well, you can hardly expect me to take care of your wound through your bloody shirt, now can you?" he snapped.

"Well- no, but…"

"You've wasted enough time without mentioning it to me, I haven't time to get in touch with someone else to do it for you in case it is dangerous. I can assure you, this is just as discomfiting to me as you." He moved forward and began examining her pupils.

"Well, yes, I understand that, but…"

"Miss Granger, it is nearly three in the morning and judging by your pupil size and unfocused expression, you have in fact been drugged. I _understand_ that this is awkward, but honestly, you are a sensible girl, usually," she made a face, "you can see the necessity of the situation, surely?"

She sighed, nodded, and turned away and began unbuttoning her top, relieved she had been too lazy earlier to remove her bra. Snape returned to the bathroom to fill the basin with warm water and by the time he returned, she was lying on the bed, waiting apprehensively. Hermione was beginning to lose focus on what was going on. Snape peered into her eyes one more time before setting to work.

He washed the wound stretching across her abdomen and then poured a type of disinfectant over it. A second liquid eliminated the effects of the drug as best as possible after it had been present in the blood stream as long as it had. Finally, he muttered a spell and the wound closed on its own, leaving a raised white line that would disappear by morning. No more than a few minutes work. He moved to cover her with the comforter, but something caught his eye first.

A jagged scar was visible, curving away underneath her bra line below her left breast. He stared at it for a moment, curious as to where it came from and more than a little suspicious.

Snape looked up at Hermione's face. She appeared to have fallen asleep. He pulled the blanket over her, waved him wand, getting rid of the basin and bottles, and grabbed her bloody shirt, careful not to touch the bloodstained part.

"Harmony!" he called.

A young female house elf appeared instantly. "Yes, sir?" she asked, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"I apologize for waking you. Please take this to my lab," he said, handing the shirt to her. "The blood will need to be tested, she was hurt with a laced knife. I'll be down in a while to do so."

The house elf gave a nod and disappeared. Snape gave Hermione one last glance, was satisfied she'd sleep awhile, and left the room, muttering the door-revealing spell first. He headed to his study, the only room in the house with a floo-connected fireplace. He grabbed a handful of green powder from a bag on the mantle and threw it in.

"Albus Dumbledore!" he called.

A few seconds later, Dumbledore appeared in the fireplace, awake and alert as ever.

"Ah, Severus," he greeted warmly. "I was wondering when you'd be in touch, usually you return from gatherings earlier."

"Well, I would have contacted you sooner," he growled, "but I had to take care of something."

"Problems?" Dumbledore asked worried.

"In a manner of speaking," Snape replied sarcastically. "In a bushy-haired, know-it-all manner of speaking." At Dumbledore's questioning raised eyebrow, he beckoned for him to follow back to the room he had left Hermione in.

"Oh, dear," Dumbledore said worriedly, going to the side of the bed. "She was attacked?"

"Oh, I managed to get her before anything happened but as I was apparating away with her, Nott pulled out a knife. A shallow scratch," he assured Dumbledore, "but laced with some sort of drug, I suspect a sedative. I have taken care of it."

"What of her parents?"

"Out of town. We got lucky. You'll need to get in touch with them before ten tomorrow morning, that's when they'll be calling the house. I presume you know where they are?"

"Oh yes, Tonks has been keeping an eye on them for me. She'll know. Is there anything else I should know? Severus?" he asked again at the younger man's hesitation.

"I'm not sure," he began slowly. "It may be nothing."

"I find that, with you," Dumbledore smiled slightly, "anything worth noticing is rarely nothing. What is it?"

"I was surprised at the level of hesitation she showed when I indicated I was to be dressing her wound." He raised a hand to stop Dumbledore as he was about to speak. "Obviously it was a rather uncomfortable situation but the sedative was well in effect at that point. She fell asleep almost immediately after lying down. I suppose I mean to say that I find it hard to attribute her behavior entirely to modesty. She is a sensible girl, she understood the necessity of the situation. Anyway," he continued, "I probably wouldn't have given it another thought, but as I was finishing, I noticed something."

"What?"

"A rather unpleasant looking, somewhat suspicious scar below her left breast." He lifted the blanket gently and lowered it to show Albus.

"Any you think it was acquired during foul play of a sort?" Dumbledore asked agitatedly.

"I suspect. Obviously, I cannot be sure without asking her, and I assume I'm not the person she'd be most delighted to have _that _conversation with."

Dumbledore pondered a moment. "Very well," he said. "I need to get in touch with Tonks and Miss Granger's parents. You've got everything under control here?"

"Yes. What will happen to the girl?" Snape asked.

Dumbledore considered. "I'm not sure," he said slowly. "I'll have to think about that. There may be…complications, considering your position. We shall see."

Snape nodded. "I'll see you in the morning than?"

"Oh yes," Dumbledore replied, "only a matter of hours really. We can discuss with Miss Granger what she will do for the remainder of the summer when she wakes. Take care, Severus."

Snape nodded. "And you," he replied, watching Dumbledore disappear back into his fireplace. He trudged wearily to his lab so he could find out exactly what Nott's knife had been laced with. He seriously doubted he'd be getting any sleep that evening.

**A/N:** Okay, so what d'ya think? This is going to be a long, pretty complex story. I hope you all enjoy it!

R & R! (ya know, kinda like in MASH, when they go for a few days R & R in Tokyo?...or wait…not that kind…I mean…)

READ AND REVIEW! Of course, if you're down here, you've already read, you're halfway there! Good job! Now finish it up!

(yes, I'm a little loopy, it's nearly 3 a.m., I've been writing this for about two hours now…not bad for me actually, 2300 words in 2 hours…anyway, that's not the point…)

Cheers!

Lexi


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thanks to my one reviewer and two people who put my story in their favorites lists ;-p

Um…yeah, not much to say, I don't think.

Disclaimer: Do I really need this after chapter 1? Anyway, you all know the drill as it is…

**Chapter 2**

Hermione blinked groggily at the figure that had appeared at her bedside.

"Dad," she murmured sleepily, "you shouldn't be home until next week."

She heard a low chuckle and opened her eyes again. She nearly fell out of the bed in surprise, remembering she was not, in fact, in her own house and bedroom and the figure next to her was not her father, but Professor Albus Dumbledore.

"Professor!" she gasped.

"Calm yourself, Miss Granger," he said smilingly. "We can't have you getting too worked up now. You are safe, your parents are safe, and we have a few things to discuss with Professor Snape."

"Have you talked to them?" she asked. "My parents, I mean."

He nodded. "They send their love and relief that you are unharmed."

"What will happen to them, then?"

"I'm afraid it will be somewhat difficult but they will manage. We've set up a secure house for them in London, near their offices. Members of the Order will take turns watching them and Nymphadora Tonks has kindly agreed to act as their scheduler so she can monitor anyone suspicious coming in." Hermione couldn't stifle a giggle at the thought of Tonks greeting dental patients, making appointments for them, and handing them the complimentary toothbrush afterwards.

"And what will I do?" she asked. "Can I go to Grimmauld Place? Are Harry and Ron there yet?"

"Well, that is just what we need to discuss." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bundle. Enlarging it, Hermione saw it was a set of clothes. "Compliments of Ms. Tonks," Dumbledore said, "We'll be waiting downstairs for you with some tea." He made to leave.

"Erm…Professor?" he turned back to her. "How do I get out of here?" she questioned feeling rather silly.

"Oh, my apologies, dear. This is Severus' safe room, the door can't be seen from inside or out without a password and another to actually open the door. The first is 'carpe noctem.' The second, to open the door, is 'supre leges.' Just out the door, turn right and down the stairs."

He left without another word. Hermione quickly washed up in the connected bathroom and slipped into the clothes provided by Tonks. She briefly traced her scar with a finger, wondering if Snape had noticed it. She shuddered as she began to think about it.

"_No,_" she muttered to herself, "it's over. No good thinking about it now."

s

Hermione made her way downstairs to find Dumbledore and Snape having some tea and biscuits in a large sitting room by the foot of the stairs. She muttered a greeting and sat down in a large, squishy chair, opposite Dumbledore.

"Tea?" Dumbledore offered her a mug of tea which she graciously accepted. "Now, to business," he continued. "Hermione, I have some concerns about your return to Grimmauld Place, because of Severus' position as a spy."

"What do you mean?" Snape asked, eyeing Dumbledore suspiciously.

"I fear what Voldemort would do if he learned Miss Granger suddenly appeared. He would undoubtedly pressure you to learn how she got away, and I fear, if it came to it, he would have you try to-," he paused, searching for the right word, "lure her out of Grimmauld Place so you could take her to him. This would, obviously, not be an ideal situation for you to be in."

"I could just deny her presence there," Snape said, not understanding the problem. "I believe that is my specialty, lying to the Dark Lord, no?"

Dumbledore seemed unfazed by Snape's sarcasm. "While I trust each and every person that is a member of the Order," he said carefully, "I can not say the same for the people they are necessarily conversing with. It would be all too easy for, say, Mundungus, once he'd had a little to drink, mention some conversation he had with Remus and Hermione. A simple slip of the tongue at the wrong place at the wrong time is all it takes for precious information to reach Voldemort's ears. Too many people go in and out of Grimmauld Place everyday."

"What- what would you have me do then?" Hermione asked, feeling completely left out of this conversation primarily concerning her. Dumbledore's gaze shifted from Snape's face, to Hermione's, and back slowly to Snape's.

"No," Snape said suddenly, incredulously, "you must be joking. You can't even be _thinking_ of that!"

"What?" Hermione asked, all too confused.

"Why not?" Dumbledore asked lightly. "I believe it would be for the best. No one knows she is here now except you and me. You already have a room in this house that is perfect for keeping someone safe. No one knows where your house is anyway, and we could cast the Fidelius charm as an added precaution. Your residence is quite large enough for one more person without her bothering you, and I daresay, Hermione, you could find plenty of amusement from Severus' extensive library collection." He smiled as Hermione's eyes lit up immediately.

Snape sighed over-dramatically. "I trust your judgement, Albus," he said, "however grudgingly."

"Have you any pressing objections?" Dumbledore asked Hermione kindly.

"Oh," she stammered, "I mean, I suppose not. It's just a tad….unexpected, I guess. Will I be able to keep in touch with Harry and Ron?" she asked. Snape rolled his eyes.

"Oh, I don't see why not," Dumbledore assured her, "so long as you make no mention of Professor Snape or where you are. Any letters can be given to Severus and he will give them to me. I will ensure they are placed in the proper hands." She nodded in agreement. "Now, let me see- ah yes." He waved his wand a couple times. Nothing appeared to happen. Hermione raised a questioning eyebrow. "I have moved your wardrobe and any school supplies into the room you stayed the night in. You will have to use that room for the duration of your stay, it is the safest in the house. It is the only room you can not directly apparate into."

"What about Crookshanks?" Hermione asked urgently, "My cat?"

At this, Snape spoke up. "Albus, I will not have a bloody kitten running around this place. Too many easily damaged things it could get in to."

Dumbledore raised his wand once more and Crookshanks the cat appeared, squashed face and all, in his arms. "I will take him to Grimmauld Place," he said. "I'm sure the Weasley's would gladly take care of him for you."

Hermione took the cat from him, scratched him behind the ears a few times and whispered, "goodbye," and handed him back to Dumbledore.

"That should cover about everything," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "I'm afraid I must be off, I have some pressing matters to discuss with Minerva. You two will be alright?" Hermione nodded. Snape just scowled at him. "Excellent! Severus, I suppose you can take it from here." And with that, he vanished with a sharp crack.

Snape rounded on Hermione. "Come with me," he growled, and stalked out of the room. "One thing will be made clear right now," he said. "You are in my house, you are to follow my rules. This means, if I tell you not to enter a certain room, you do not enter it under any circumstances. If I tell you to go to your room and stay there, _you stay there_. Understood? Your very life may depend on it." Hermione nodded, wide-eyed.

He led her around the sizeable residence. It was too big to simply be a house, but mansion was a bit over-exaggerated.

"This is the dining room," he said stiffly. "The kitchen is through that door across the room. You may take your meals in here or in your room at any time of day, it makes little difference to me as I will rarely, if ever, be joining you," she was a tad taken aback at his roughness. "Harmony!" he called. The house elf appeared in front of them.

"What can I get for sir and his lady friend?" she asked.

"Nothing," Snape replied, taking no notice of her choice of words which had made Hermione blush scarlet. "I just want to you meet Miss Granger. You are to listen to any order she gives you. You may go." She disappeared again.

Snape turned to Hermione. "I want to make something else clear. If I ever catch you grossly mistreating Harmony in any way, there will be hell to pay. I do not approve of this attitude some like the Malfoys have towards house servants. You treat her kindly and respectfully."

Hermione stared dumbly at Snape for a few seconds, lost for words. After all her S.P.E.W campaigning, how dare he imply such a thing of her. Then she noticed the almost amused way in which he was regarding her.

"You're messing with me," she stated incredulously.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Snape said delicately, moving on through the house.

"This door leads to my potions lab," he pointed out a closed door on his left. "You do not enter here without permission." He said nothing more, but led her up the flight of stairs she had come down earlier.

"These doors are merely spare bedrooms," he gestured carelessly to a few doors lining the hallway. "Yours is at the end. I assume Professor Dumbledore told you how to access it?" She nodded. "You may change the second password, if you wish, but I would like the one to access the door remain the same." He jabbed his wand against the stone beneath which the door lay. "What would you like your new password to be?" he questioned her.

"Er…Gandalf the Grey," she decided, giggling. Snape rolled his eyes once more.

"Muggles," he muttered, and swept on after changing the password.

"This," he pointed to a new door, "is my private study. There is some very important work within this room, you will not enter it. Next to it is my bedroom, there should be no reason to enter that either."

Hermione nodded her understanding. Snape led her up a second flight of spiral stone stairs. Reaching the top, Hermione gasped.

The stairs had come up in the middle of a vast library. She could easily imagine passing a day away in here. Possibly a week, provided she was fed occasionally. She was so lost in wonder and thought she didn't notice Snape beckoning her to him. He led her over to a ladder, which extended beyond the rows of books and onto a ledge up above, circling the entire room, filled with more books.

"The books up there," he explained curtly, "are not easily accessible for a reason. It is my desire that you leave your perusal of the books to the ones on the main floor."

Hermione was instantly sparked with a certain amount of curiosity about the books on the higher ledge. She nodded with difficulty, wondering what kinds of mysterious or dangerous things could be up there, imagining the 'Restricted Section' on a much larger scale.

Snape began is descent back down the stairs. He paused before he passed from sight.

"Remember what I said, Miss Granger. I should be most displeased to find you have entered a room against my express wishes. You may do what you like for now, I have work to attend to."

And with that, he was gone.

s

Hermione realized quickly that Snape had been right. She barely saw him during the day (not that it was necessarily a bad thing, but it did get rather boring and lonely). She spent most of her time in the library, to no one's surprise. Two days in to her stay, she decided to write to Harry and Ron.

Dear Harry and Ron,

How are the two of you? I'm sorry things had to happen this way, I wish I could be with you guys. And before you ask, no, I can not tell you where I am! Anything interesting happening? I'm feeling a little cut off from the world at the moment. How's Crookshanks?

Tell everyone else I said 'hi' and I miss them all and I hope to see them soon!

Love,

Hermione Granger

She was unsure how to ask Snape to deliver a letter for her and not make it sound like she thought he was his postman (or owl). Thankfully, she didn't have to worry about it, because Professor Dumbledore himself showed up the next day to perform the Fidelius charm, with Snape obviously secret-keeper to his own house. When they were done and had ensure it worked properly (Hermione and Dumbledore suddenly couldn't see the house and had to wait for Snape to tell them where it was before they could. It was a quite bizarre sensation), Hermione approached Dumbledore.

"Sir?"

"Yes?" he smiled down at her.

"I was wondering if you could give this to Harry and Ron. It's for both of them. And don't worry," she assured him, "no mention of where I am."

"I'd be delighted," he answered.

Before she knew it, he was gone again. Back to her book-filled seclusion.

**A/N:** Whew, chappie 2 done.

Anyone likin' it? Should I just stop there? Well, even if you hate it, too bad! Cuz I shan't stop! Muahahaha!

Yeah, this early morning typing is getting to me. Haha. At least it's only quarter after 2 right now.

Review!

Cheers!

Lexi Lupin


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Wow, I got lots of hits on my story after the last chapter…still disappointing on the reviews though…

glares evilly around at readers

alas and alack…what can one do, but continue writing faithfully?

Disclaimer: MINE, MINE, ALL MINE! In my dreams…

**Chapter 3**

When Hermione awoke the fifth morning of her stay, she found a roll of parchment sitting on the dresser in her room. Unfolding it curiously, her heart leapt to see the familiar scrawls of Harry and Ron.

Dear Hermione,

Rotten luck, you being stuck…well, elsewhere…not here. Dumbledore's kept his lips sealed, don't think we didn't try to find out. We tried Lupin and Mr. Weasley but they just don't seem to know.

We've asked Dumbledore if there was any possibility he could smuggle you out of hiding for a few hours for my birthday at the end of the week. He said it was a possibility, so keep your fingers crossed!

Honestly, Hermione, I am kind of envious of you. I hate being back here, not having Snuffles around. I miss him so much. I try not to let it show too much though. Everyone else has so much to worry about.

Crookshanks is well, albeit a bit lonely. He's taken to hiding upstairs with Buckbeak, they seem to get on quite well now.

Ron's going to say hi now. Hope to see you in a few days!

Harry

Hey Hermione!

We were so worried at first, we figured something terrible had happened to you or your family. But we've been assured you're all just fine, so I suppose I'll take everyone's word for it. I suppose Harry's already told you of our relentless questioning and badgering of everyone else (Ouch! Harry just hit me)…okay, our polite curiosity of where you are. But they're not budging. Hopefully we'll get to see you on the 31st, I would hate to have to wait until the beginning of the school year. How would I ever get my homework done correctly? (Harry just hit me again. This is getting dangerous, I'd better go).

Ron

Hermione read through the letters twice each, smiling fondly at their antics. Of course she didn't really expect them to calmly accept she was in hiding and, under no circumstances, could she reveal her location. She was a little surprised to realize Harry's birthday was coming so soon and worried she would be unable to get him a suitable present. She decided, however, she would worry about that later, as she was rather happy just to hear from her friends. Hermione happily bounded downstairs, not bothering to change out of her pajamas, ready for some breakfast. She received a shock as, for the first time, Snape was actually present at the table and appeared to be awaiting her arrival.

"Professor Dumbledore just brought along a couple more bits of post for you," he said stiffly. "You're O.W.L. results and supply list for the upcoming school year. I will be going into Diagon Alley later today, I need to know what supplies you will need.

Hermione anxiously tore open the O.W.L. result envelope. Here's what she read:

**Ordinary Wizarding Level Results**

**Pass Grades Fail Grades**

Outstanding (O) Poor (P)

Exceeds Expectations (E) Dreadful (D)

Acceptable (A) Troll (T)

_Hermione Granger has achieved:_

Arithmancy O

Ancient RunesO

AstronomyO

Care of Magical CreaturesO

CharmsO

Defense Against the Dark ArtsE

HerbologyO

History of MagicO

PotionsO

Transfiguration O

Hermione grinned happily at her results. She would have _liked _to have O's across the board of course. But she supposed one subject was fine with an E. She was actually amazed she had managed the O in Astronomy as she had been totally distracted, like the rest of the class, because of the scene going on below with Professor McGonagall and Hagrid.

Snape pushed the second envelope across the table to her. Opening it, she found a book list broken down by subject so you would know what to get depending on the N.E.W.T.'s you were taking.

"You may circle the books and any other supplies you need," he told her.

Hermione scanned the list, circling as she went. She knew she would continue on with most of her subjects. She soon decided to drop History of Magic, Care of Magical Creatures, and Astronomy. She would have liked more time for the decision, but Snape was watching her impatiently and she realized that she was not interested in any career involving these subjects and she had to drop _something,_ though it pained her to admit it. N.E.W.T. classes were supposed to be incredibly difficult, after all.

She slid the piece of parchment back over to Snape. She then ran upstairs, dug around in her school trunk quickly, found her Gringotts safe key, ran back down, and gave that to him as well. He was scanning her O.W.L results with a slight sneer on his face.

"Dear me, Miss Granger. An E? Will you be able to sleep tonight?"

Hermione calmly sat and began buttering a piece of toast supplied by Harmony the house elf. "You really shouldn't try for humor, _Sir,_ it doesn't really become you," she said off-handedly.

A malevolent look on his face, he continued, "Let me see. Potions, herbology, charms…you are interested in a career as a Medi-witch, perhaps?"

She shrugged. "Considered it. I'm not really decided," it suddenly struck her the awkwardness of talking about this to Snape, of all people. "All I really know is nothing involving divination, astronomy, care of magical creatures, or history of magic."

Snape nodded and stood up abruptly. He made to leave the room but stopped at the doorway. "I will be gone most of the night. You should remain in your room after dark. As a precaution merely," he added at her questioning look. Hermione wasn't able to summon the courage to ask against what. "And one more thing," he added. "Lupin will be here tomorrow. Full moon. He needs his potion and finds it best to undergo transformations where there are fewer people than headquarters. This is the obvious choice." Hermione nodded. With a curt nod of his head, Snape was gone.

s

Many hours later found Severus Snape at number 12 Grimmauld Place. He had spent a stressful day meeting with fellow Death Eaters and venturing into Knockturn Alley (he had lied to Hermione; he was never planning a trip to Diagon Alley but it was on the way). Once in the headquarters of the Order, he sought out Remus Lupin, pulling him in to an unoccupied room.

"Before you stake out my home for your abnormality tomorrow, Lupin, there are a couple things you need made aware of."

"Such as…?" Lupin trailed off, looking mildly curious.

"Dumbledore has cast the Fidelius charm on the property. I am now secret-keeper of my house. The location of the Prince Residence may be found at number thirty-four Woodyshire lane," he said in a low voice.

"Why have you done the charm?" Remus asked, slightly surprised.

"A…situation…has arisen," Snape explained carefully. "A greater need for security. In Albus' infinite wisdom, he-," he cut himself off as he felt the Dark Mark upon his left arm burn.

"You are being summoned?" Remus questioned, eyes wide. Snape nodded, preparing to leave. "I will see you tomorrow, tell me then. Severus," Snape stopped at the door, "be careful."

And he was gone.

s

Hermione thought it best to follow along with Snape's wishes, so, after a day of amusing herself in his library and exploring the areas of the house she was allowed in (though she stared longingly at the lab door), she curled up in her bed shortly after dark.

Early the next morning, Hermione made her way downstairs, hoping to find her new books for the upcoming school term. She was disappointed, however. Searching all the important rooms, she found nothing of the sort. She sat down in the sitting room instead and poured herself a cup of tea (which had magically appeared when she sat down). Several minutes later, an owl arrived with Snape's copy of the _Daily Prophet_. She placed a knut in the money pouch on the owl's leg and it flew off again. She unfolded the paper, and just as she was glancing at the headlines across the front page, she heard a distant pop of someone apparating in the hallway outside the room. A moment later, Snape stalked into the room and eyed her wearily.

"I thought I told you to remain upstairs for the night," he snarled and stalked out of the room again. Somewhat baffled, Hermione followed him.

"But…Professor. It's nearly seven in the morning. I just assumed you meant…?" She trailed off as Snape eyed her incredulously, checked the time, gave a shudder, and began trudging up the stairs. Hermione still followed, wondering how Snape could have lost track of time so easily.

"Sir? Are you alright? You look…" she paused, unsure _how _exactly he looked.

"Yes, Miss Granger? How precisely do I look?"

"Tired," she finished lamely.

He laughed derisively. "Well done, Miss Granger, I stumble in after nearly twenty-four hours away, and I look tired. Who would have thought?"

"Pardon me for showing a little concern!" she snapped angrily.

"I was fine before I had your concern and will continue to be fine long after," he said, stopping outside his bedroom door and turning to face her. "The Dark Lord," he said mockingly, "is most displeased I have yet been unable to locate you. I was held up."

Hermione's eyes widened in realization. "I- I didn't realize- what do you- I'm sorry," she finished quietly, looking down.

"I do not mean it as blame!" he said harshly. Hermione could think of no way to respond to that so she continued to look down, looking more closely at the _Daily Prophet_ she still had clutched in one hand. Her eyes fell on the lead story and she gave a gasp.

"Oh, how horrible!" she exclaimed, unable to stop herself. "A muggleborn and her entirely family killed last night near London!"

She looked up at Snape again. He looked away and closed his eyes and Hermione began to put the pieces together.

"You were there," she whispered in horror, not entirely unable to keep the accusation out of her voice.

"You forget yourself, Miss Granger," Snape said dangerously, but still unable to meet her eyes. She backed away slightly. "Do not pretend you could not guess, even if it wasn't spelled out exactly for you, the nature of what I do. It's not pleasant, but it is necessary."

"But you could have saved them," she said quietly.

"Some sacrifices are necessary to bring about a quicker end of the war. If coming to the aid of someone means the risk of jeopardizing my position with the Dark Lord, I'm afraid it's out of the question."

"Oh, sacrifices, are they?" Hermione asked before she lost her nerve. "What was I then? I didn't involve any _risk?_ That family with the little five-year-old son didn't deserve death any more than I do."

Snape was possibly as angry as Hermione had ever seen him. "Would you like me to turn you over to the Dark Lord right now then? If it's that important to you. Damn the fact that you'll probably be valuable to the ending of this war."

Hermione was close to tears. "It's just that you hardly seem to care that five people died last night."

"It's not my job to care! What do you think happens when someone shows regret over their actions in front of the Dark Lord? They die quickly! You, of all people, with what nearly happened in the Department of Mysteries only a matter of weeks ago, should understand the importance of keeping emotions under control." He walked slowly towards her, face merely inches from hers. "Potter's inability to master occlumency and his hopeless need to save everyone nearly cost you your life. As I told him, fools who wear their hearts on their sleeves-," but Hermione cut him off.

"Find themselves easy prey for the Dark Lord?" she asked snidely. "Yes, he told me that. Here's my question though: what would have happened if Lily Potter hadn't done just that? Harry wouldn't have survived, Voldemort wouldn't have fallen, and we'd probably all be dead!"

"Don't say the Dark Lord's name," he growled at her.

"Voldemort," she said coldly. "It's not like he can- let go of me!" she said indignantly as Snape seized her shoulders in a painful grip. But he didn't let go.

"My patience is nearly at an end with you," he said dangerously, ignoring her protests.

"Please let me-"

"You stand here and lecture me about how to carry out my task, given to me by Dumbledore. You are a young, idealistic fool."

"Professor, please." Hermione was beginning to panic. Memories came flooding back to her.

"I told you before, you are in my house, you will do as I say and respect my wishes."

"You're hurting me, Professor," she gasped, her breathing now erratic.

Snape finally let go of her and gave her a contemptuous look. "What is wrong with you?" he asked. Hermione did not answer. Instead, to Snape's horror and befuddlement, she collapsed, right there in the hallway outside his bedroom. He lowered her gently to the floor, trying to see what was the matter. He found no obvious signs of illness or injury, so he pulled out his wand and levitated her into the nearest room with a bed- his.

He left the room to find a calming draught. When he returned, he received a jolt of surprise and cursed himself mentally.

He had forgotten the full moon.

Remus Lupin was standing next to the bed. At the sound of Snape's footsteps, he turned to the door, wand raised, standing protectively next to the still unconscious form of Hermione Granger.

"Severus, what the _hell_ is going on here?"

**A/N: **Yay, another chapter completed. And it's not even three in the morning!

One thing I was curious if anyone knew: In HBP, Ron says Hermione got ten O's on O.W.L.s and one E in DADA. Does anyone know what her eleventh subject was supposed to be? I couldn't think of any others except Divination and Muggle Studies which she dropped obviously. I figured it must be something never mentioned in the books or somethin', I dunno.

Review like you've never reviewed before!

Cheers!

Lexi


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry the wait on this chapter has been a tad longer. Had to work a lot, school's starting up in a couple weeks, got to mentally prepare myself. shudder Only 2 more years (well, then college…but high school frickin' sucks…)**

Disclaimer: Do I need this anymore? Seriously, people…

**Chapter 4**

"Severus, what the _hell_ is going on here?"

"Lupin, lower that wand before you hurt somebody," Snape said quietly.

Lupin made no move to do so. "What is she doing here?" he indicated Hermione, still blissfully unaware of the confrontation going on before her.

"Well _obviously_, this is what I intended to tell you yesterday before I was forced to cut our little chat short," Snape said condescendingly. "She is 'hiding' here."

"I figured _that_ much," Lupin snarled right back at him. "That hardly explains why she is currently sleeping in your room, in your bed."

Snape realized with a jolt what Lupin thought. He hadn't realized that Lupin was not concerned so much with Hermione being in his house, so much as Hermione being in his bed. He cursed the Dark Lord mentally but put on a sneer for Lupin.

"If you were a tad more observant, _Lupin_, you might care to notice she is not sleeping, so much, as she just fainted. This just happened to be the most convenient room to the scene of the incident."

Remus gave a start, lowered his wand finally, and looked around at Hermione again. "Is she sick? What's wrong with her?" he asked worriedly.

"Obviously I don't know," Snape said dryly. "We were having a bit of an- argument, if you will- and she got a little worked up and overexcited and collapsed." He left out the little part about her panicking when he grabbed her, figuring that would not please Lupin too terribly much.

"Well what have you got there?" Remus indicated the bottle in Snape's hand.

"Calming draught. I was about to wake her and it seemed likely she would need it. Why are you here so early, anyway?" he changed the subject abruptly. "Normally you don't grace me with your presence until late afternoon."

"Albus was worried. He said you never reported back to him after your meeting last night and asked that I come this morning and check that you had made it back alright."

"I just returned," Snape growled, "within the last hour. I can see I won't be getting any rest today," he glanced furtively over at the unconscious girl in his bed. "Between her and Albus and the full moon, it's bound to be an eventful day," he said sarcastically. "Well here I am, home safe and sound. I have a few things to discuss with Miss Granger now. Tell Albus I'll be in touch with him later, once I've dealt with this." Lupin turned to leave. "Oh, and Lupin. I trust you will keep your mouth shut about Granger being here? No one knows save myself, Albus, and now you, we should like to keep it that way."

Lupin nodded his agreement, stepped out past Snape into the hallway, turned, and apparated out of the house.

Snape approached the bed, wand drawn. He pointed it at Hermione and said, "Rennervate."

She groaned, lay there a few more seconds, and opened her eyes. She looked startled to see Snape standing so closely, wand in hand. Hermione began to remember what had happened and, as she did so, began breathing more rapidly again. Snape hurriedly handed her the vial. She looked warily at it.

"Just a calming draught," he said impatiently. She drank it, still looking rather distrustful, but quickly calmed down. She looked up at him quizzically. "You are feeling better?" She nodded slowly. "Good. Because we need to have ourselves a little talk."

"Professor," she launched right in, "I'm really, really sorry about everything I said. I know it's hard what you do, and it's not my place to-," he cut her off with a hand.

"While your apology is merited in this situation," Hermione scowled at his condescending nature, "that is not what I wish to discuss." He conjured a chair out of thin air and set it down next to the bed, sitting on it.

Hermione braced herself for what was sure to be a sudden barrage of accusations and questions. It didn't come though. She looked up at Snape and found him gazing at her, an almost puzzled frown on his face. He seemed to be trying to decide something, deep in thought.

After several moments, he finally spoke up.

"Miss Granger, am I correct in guessing there is a connection between what just occurred in the hallway and the particularly unpleasant looking scar beneath your left breast?"

Hermione stared at him, completely lost for words. She had wondered, her first day here, whether he had noticed that scar. Well _that _question was now answered, at any rate.

"Why- why would you think…?" she stammered, unsure what to say.

"I am perfectly capable of adding two and two, Miss Granger," he said, a tad more harshly than intended. "I take it I am correct then?" She could merely nod. "Very well. Your actions suggested it was so. How did you come by the scar?"

"I- that's none of your business!" she said indignantly. Snape brought his head closer to her eye level and stared intently at her.

"It may well be my business," he said silkily. "If, say, perhaps a student at Hogwarts did this? We would need to be sure the person responsible was punished accordingly. I can hardly believe such a thing happened by accident."

"Glad to see you find my body to be of such interest," she snapped angrily. He opened his mouth to reply but she cut him off. "It didn't happen at Hogwarts, okay? Or Grimmauld Place, or any other place associated with the wizarding world. It's old, I've had it for years, since before I even knew I was a witch, get it? Therefore, it can't _possibly_ be any of your business whatsoever."

Snape remained silent, watching her carefully. When she said nothing further, he spoke up again. "Miss Granger, while I appreciate the delicacy of the present situation, I am still your professor, and I will not be spoken to like that, _do I make myself clear?_"

She eyed him, dislike growing by the minute. "Inescapably." There was a deafening silence in which they glared at one another. "Can I go now?" she asked finally.

"You've nothing more to say on the subject?" he asked.

"No," she insisted coldly. "It's over, I've dealt. There is nothing more to it."

Snape laughed mirthlessly as he led her to the door. "Miss Granger, you've a long way to go before it is over. If mere memory causes you to have a panic attack of enough vigor that you faint, recovery is far off for you." He closed the door, leaving her alone in the hallway.

Hermione had never hated anyone more than she did Snape right now. She hated him for being a spy, she hated him for being a git. She hated him for prying too closely in to her personal life. But most of all, she hated him for being right.

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Hermione did not see Snape for the rest of the day and was glad. She spent most of the day in her room working on homework that she had already done, but was rewriting to ensure absolute perfection. That was what she loved about summer work: you could check over it hundreds of times to make sure it was of your best work.

Late in the afternoon, as she was finishing up a transfiguration essay, she tensed when she heard a soft knock on her door. She was debating whether or not to answer it when she heard a quiet, familiar voice say, "Hermione?"

She bound to the door and wrenched it open excitedly. "Remus!" she exclaimed as she pulled him into the room. "How are you?"

He laughed at her enthusiasm. "As well as can be, considering," he answered, meaning the coming full moon in a few hours time. "More importantly though, how are you? You had all of us so worried, despite Professor Dumbledore's assurances that you were perfectly fine, when your house was attacked. Ron and Harry keep pestering everyone for information on you, but we keep telling them we know no more than they do."

"I'm great," Hermione said a little over-brightly. "Well, as much as one can be staying with Professor Snape, I guess," she added wearily. "In case you couldn't guess, we don't get along so well."

"Yes, I gathered as much. I was here this morning, he mentioned you'd had a bit of a dispute. And just now when I asked where you were, he said you were 'sulking' up here. His words, not mine," he raised his hands defensively as she opened her mouth to retort. She closed her mouth and looked thoughtful.

"When were you here this morning?" she asked, frowning.

"Ah- well, you were a tad- er- unconscious at the time."

"Oh…right," she said awkwardly, unable to meet his eyes.

"Is there anything you'd like to talk about? That maybe you couldn't with Severus?" Remus asked gently, looking at her carefully.

"What did he tell you?" she asked him angrily.

"Nothing whatsoever," he said smoothly, "but you seemed a bit distraught and I sense there is more to the situation than either of you are letting on to. I'm not trying to pressure you in to talking about something you do not wish to," he explained. "I'm just making the offer."

"Right," Hermione said a little sheepishly. "Sorry, didn't mean to jump in to conclusions there. Thank you, but no thanks. I have nothing I need to talk about."

Remus nodded understandingly. "Very well. Just remember, the offer stands." He checked the time. "Well, I need to be preparing for the full moon now. I will see you in the morning, I expect."

"Why do you come here?" she asked curiously.

"Far too many people at Grimmauld Place," he explained. "Even with the Wolfsbane potion, the chance that something were to go wrong is too great a risk to take. As it is usually Severus here alone, and him gone most the time, I can shut myself in a secluded part of the house to ensure no one is hurt. Good evening, Hermione." He left the room and headed back down the stairs. Hermione hit a pillow out of frustration with the world.

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Early the next morning, Hermione ventured cautiously downstairs, hoping desperately that Snape chose to be his normal early morning antisocial self. She hadn't seen him at all since their little argument the previous morning and she was enjoying it. She was, however, hoping Remus would still be around, as he had indicated he might see her. That, and she was starving. She had taken lunch in her room the previous day but had skipped dinner, bogged down as her mind was by confusion and frustration.

Her heart leapt joyfully to see Remus sitting in the dining area drinking some tea- but she was quickly disappointed to see he was joined by a sullen-looking Professor Snape. They appeared to be having a somewhat heated discussion about something.

"-don't know when to keep their mouths shut!" Snape was saying forcefully.

"Severus," Remus said, attempting to restore calm to the situation, "you know perfectly well that the entire family is trustworthy and they understand the severity of silence in this instance. They would never do anything that would remotely risk endangering her or anyone else."

Hermione cleared her throat to alert them to her presence, having the distinct feeling that they had been talking about her.

"Good morning, Hermione," Remus smiled warmly, "do come have a cup of tea."

She smiled back at him and sat down, pouring herself a cup. There were several moments tense silence between the three of them.

"So," Hermione attempted to break the silence, "what were you talking about?"

"Ah, yes. Professor Dumbledore," Remus began, "feels there should be no problem with you coming to headquarters for a few hours on Saturday for Harry's birthday. With a few added precautions, however. I'm afraid he wishes for you to more or less stay in one room the entire time and be seen by no one besides Harry and the Weasley family. Which shouldn't be too hard though," he added. "We could just set up in Harry and Ron's room and keep anyone else out."

"Right," Hermione said slowly. "So, what's the problem? I heard you arguing."

"Well, Severus here feels it unwise to make it known you were there to certain members of said Weasley family. Primarily Fred and George, I do believe," he said with a twinkle in his eye reminiscent of Dumbledore. "I insist however, that they are completely trustworthy."

"Of course they are!" Hermione exclaimed. "Just because they're jokesters and all that doesn't mean they tell everyone everything that goes on at headquarters!"

"Calm yourself, Miss Granger," Snape said snidely, "I have already been overruled on the matter by Dumbledore. I was merely expressing my- disbelief- with some of his feelings towards…some people."

"I'm afraid I must be off, Hermione," Lupin spoke up. "I have some business to attend to for Albus. Are you alright?" He asked, for she suddenly looked rather crestfallen.

"Oh, fine," she said. "I just realized I won't be able to get Harry a birthday present, being stuck here." Snape snorted quietly in to his coffee.

"I daresay, Miss Granger," he said, "you could just attach a bow to your head and make yourself the gift, Potter will be so _overjoyed_ at your presence." Though it was meant sarcastically, Hermione realized he was right.

"Absolutely! Thanks, Professor, what a brilliant idea!" Snape scowled as she bounded out of the room with a huge grin on her face.

**A/N: Yay, another chapter done! Harry's birthday next! How exciting!**

**Just as a matter of curiosity…I was wondering what countries you all were from. I'm curious as to how many different nationalities of people have been reading this and what they think of it. No biggie, but just curious.**

**Cheers!**

**Lexi**


	5. Chapter 5

"**Remember- professional, trained killers are just a phone call away."**

**Prime Minister, Love Actually**

**A/N: You people are very disappointing. All my reviews have been positive but hardly anyone reviews! If you don't like it, by reviewing, you can only help me make it better!**

**Disclaimer: It's all JK's…zut alors**

**Chapter 5**

Hermione anxiously awaited Saturday, Harry's birthday, the day she'd see her friends for the first time in a month, the day she'd go outside of Snape's house for the first time in over a week. She had avoided Snape for the most part over the last few days, but that hadn't been difficult. He was no more anxious for her company than she was for his. Besides, he spent the better part of his days in the 'forbidden rooms'…the places she wasn't allowed to go, such as his potions lab and his study. She'd never really thought much about what teachers did during the summer but she supposed Snape just continued working on improving or developing new ideas for potions. Anyway, she wasn't about to ask, though she was a tad curious what he spent so many hours working on.

When he wasn't in the lab or his study, he usually wasn't in the house at all. Hermione supposed he was doing work for the Order, Voldemort, or both- it's not like he ever told her, so she really could not say for sure. So when it came right down to it, her only real source of company during the day was Harmony the house-elf.

Hermione liked Harmony very much. She wasn't your usual 'brain-washed, slave-worked' brand of house-elf, though she also wasn't quite to the level of oddness that Dobby had adopted. Hermione was pleasantly surprised to see that Snape seemed to treat her with great care and respect, nothing like Dobby, for instance, had been treated at the Malfoy's. Though she called him 'sir', Snape and Harmony seemed to be more of friends than master and servant. Hermione would have liked it if she was paid and had vacation- but things had to be taken one step at a time, she supposed.

The first time she had spoken with Harmony, Hermione had insisted she stop calling her 'Miss Granger,' and that 'Hermione' would suffice. Harmony had then laughed and, when asked what was so funny, had pointed out how similar their names were, Hermione and Harmony. From that point on, Hermione decided this was definitely a house-elf she could get along with.

Friday evening, Hermione ventured to the top of the manor in to the library. After perusing the shelves for several minutes, searching out a book she had never read before and looked interesting, she finally settled on a book about Animagus transformations. She settled in to a comfy armchair in a remote corner of the library and began to read, yawning. After about twenty minutes, just as she was reaching chapter two (_The Animal Picks the Wizard), _she fell asleep right there in the chair in the library.

Several minutes after that, a very disgruntled looking Severus Snape ascended the spiral staircase in to the library. After a brief glance through the shelves, he spotted the small shadow in the corner that was Hermione and started towards her.

"Miss Granger, honestly, could you be any more-," Snape stopped short in his reprimand as he realized she was asleep, curled up with the book still lying open on the page she had left off in front of her. A strange look passed quickly over his face as he watched her sleeping there. He stood there a couple minutes, debating whether to wake her up when she began to stir on her own.

Hermione opened her eyes sleepily and gave a start at the shadow looming over her, before realizing it was only Snape.

"Professor," she acknowledged warily.

"Miss Granger," he said, slightly sneeringly, though not bad by Snape standards. "Animagi?" he questioned her choice of books. She merely shrugged. He continued. "Professor Dumbledore will be here at two tomorrow to collect you. He will bring you back around six. I will more than likely not be here. Should that be the case, I wish for you to remain in your room after dark again, do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal, Sir."

He sneered again, turned, and headed back for the stairs. Hermione stood, stretched, and headed back for the shelf on which she found the book on Animagi so as to return it to the proper place before heading down for bed. She stopped however, as Snape turned back to her from the top of the stairs and said words she never expected to hear him say as long as he lived (at least not to her).

"Miss Granger, I wish to apologize."

She stood there in shock for a moment before making a bumbling attempt at speaking.

"I…but…whatever for?" she finally stumbled.

"My behavior and treatment of you the other day," he said smoothly. Hermione had no clue how much effort this took him. "While I was not altogether pleased with your behavior either, I had no right to grab you as I did or say some of the things I said. Therefore, I am apologizing."

"Oh…well, thank you…I guess I…what I mean to say…I'm sorry too," she said in a whisper.

"Apology accepted," he said formally, and swept down the stairs, leaving Hermione feeling slightly confused by the whole exchange.

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The next day, two couldn't come quite quick enough. Hermione awoke shortly after seven and could not go back to sleep, regardless how hard she tried. Grumbling, she rose from bed and stumbled in to her attached bathroom. Half and hour and a long hot shower later, she reemerged feeling slightly more awake but all the more anxious about finally seeing her friends. She wouldn't have been so nervous if she wasn't so sure they would spend the entire time she was there pestering her with questions about where she had been staying for the past week. Regardless, it would still be good to see Harry and the Weasley clan, if only for a few hours, as no one showed any sign that she would be leaving Snape's house any time soon. And there was still a full month left of the holidays. Hermione groaned softly at the thought as she shuffled slowly out of her room in search of caffeine.

She was annoyed to see Snape was already up, sitting at the table reading his copy of the _Daily Prophet_. He glanced at her over the top of the paper, raised his eyebrows slightly, and went back to his paper. Hermione groped sluggishly for the tea kettle, made to pour it, stopped, and put it back down instead.

"Harmony?" she called quietly.

The little elf appeared a second later, looking positively cheerful and delighted to be of service. "What can I get for you, Hermione?" she giggled softly.

"Could I have a mug of coffee, please?" she requested.

"Certainly, Miss, right away," the elf disappeared again with a _crack_ and with a second _crack_ a hot mug of coffee appeared on the table in front of Hermione. She didn't bother with cream or sugar and just drank it black.

"Not much of a morning person today, are we, Miss Granger?" Snape asked sardonically.

Hermione was not in the mood to be messed with. "Yeah, and I suppose you're all rays of sunshine and chipper like a bunny?"

"Perhaps not," he conceded wryly, "however, I am not the one dripping wet still in their bathrobe. That honor belongs entirely to you this particular, fine morning."

She flushed slightly. She had not really been paying attention to her state of dress when she had left her room, driven by the thought of caffeine.

"Dear Merlin, you really _are_ in a good mood. Well, good for you at any rate. I'm not sure the phrase 'good mood' will ever be entirely appropriate. But let's settle with that for now, shall we?"

"Miss Granger, I never expected you to be one to talk so mockingly to a teacher. Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

"Alright as humanly possible," she snarled, "under the bloody circumstances."

"And what 'bloody circumstances' would those be?"

"What- what circumstances? What circumstances? What circumstances do _you _think? Being stuck inside here all day, never getting to- to- ah. Ah ha! I get it now, _that's _why you're in such a good mood, for you! Because I will not be here part of the day! You're excited I'm leaving, aren't you? Don't think I don't know what you think I don't know!"

Snape peered closely at her face. "Miss Granger, are you quite sure you're feeling alright? I was serious when I asked you the first time, you know."

She smiled sweetly at him. "That's sweet, Professor, really sweet. I didn't know you cared!" And giggling madly, she clutched her cup of coffee and headed back up to her room to properly clothe herself.

"That's not- I don't-," Snape sighed in defeat, his protests unheard by the giggling girl, an amused smirk threatening to pull at the corners of his mouth.

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Hermione did not reappear downstairs until close to noon. Not having eaten anything at breakfast, she was now feeling rather famished.

She was surprised to see Snape was, yet again, sitting at the table when she approached the dining room. This time, however, he seemed to be awaiting her arrival. Spread out in front of him were several pieces of parchment he was inspecting to pass the time.

"Lunch?" he questioned off-handedly. She nodded and he called for Harmony. "Bring us lunch for two please, Harmony," he said, and she was gone, replaced with an impressive looking meal. Two places at the table set themselves. Hermione made her way slowly to the unoccupied place and sat down. "You are feeling more…what is the word…sober than earlier this morning?"

She laughed lightly. "Come now, Professor, I was just messing with you."

"Charming," he stated shortly. "I'm afraid I must ask you to be serious for the moment, however."

"Absolutely," she dead-panned. He rolled his eyes.

"I hardly think I need to stress upon you the necessity for secrecy during this little social visit of yours this afternoon."

"Hardly," she agreed.

"You will remain in one room the entire time. You are forbidden to socialize with anyone outside of that room. It will be sound proofed and locked to prevent unwanted persons entering. There will be no mention of myself or where you are staying. If they ask, keep that bloody mouth of yours shut, make something up, bludgeon them upside the head if you wish, I really don't care, but you _do not_ mention where you are staying! Are we understood?"

"Beautifully," she smiled wistfully as she took a voracious bite out of a chicken salad sandwich.

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At five to two, Professor Dumbledore apparated in to the downstairs hallway. Snape emerged from his potions lab to greet him.

"Ah, Severus, how are you? I trust you and Miss Granger are enjoying your stay together?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled in that infuriating way.

"You know very damn well she annoys the bloody hell out of me," Snape snarled. "I swear, this morning, she sounded like a drunken idiot, the way she was carrying on."

"Now, Severus, she is probably just bored, trying to make light of the situation in an amusing way."

"Whatever you say," Snape eyed Dumbledore distrustfully.

"Oh come now, you could make at least an effort to try and be friends! Just for the next month in which she is cooped up here with you. Poor girl has no one else to talk to, and I suspect you aren't doing much to make her feel at home. Now where is Miss Granger?" Dumbledore continued, ignoring Snape's incredulous stare.

"Good afternoon, Professor," came a quiet voice behind them.

The two men turned around to see Hermione coming down the stairs toward them.

Dumbledore smiled warmly at her. "Ah, Miss Granger, how enchanting to see you again. You are well, I trust? Getting along okay with Professor Snape?" It was in that moment that Snape began to wonder just how much Dumbledore knew of their dispute from a few days prior.

"Yes," she said slyly, "we get along just fabulously. Don't we, Professor?" she asked innocently. Dumbledore chuckled at Snape's snort.

"Well come along, my dear, it won't do well to keep Mr. Potter waiting on his birthday. I daresay he and Mr. Weasley will be most ecstatic at your presence." He took Hermione's arm, turned, and they were gone.

A couple suffocating seconds later, Hermione reappeared with Professor Dumbledore in a familiar room. There were several exclamations of surprise and joy, and then Hermione felt she was suffocating all over again as she was assaulted by a mass of red heads and one dark haired person.

Laughing, she finally managed to extract herself from the pile, catching Dumbledore's eye. He had, miraculously, escaped the fray unscathed and wandered over to a corner.

"I will return in a few hours to escort you back, Miss Granger," he said. She nodded, and again he was gone. Hermione turned to inspect the crowd gathered around her.

There were Harry and Ron, front and center, beaming at her. They looked much as usual, perhaps even a little taller. It may have just been her imagination, but Hermione thought Harry looked somewhat sadder than she remembered. On Harry's right stood Ginny, holding Crookshanks, and, hovering in the background, were Fred and George. He came forward and hugged her more gently. "We've been missing you," he said quietly.

"Me too," she replied. "Happy Birthday."

He stepped back. "Don't suppose it'll do much good to ask where you've been?" he asked mischievously.

Hermione grabbed a pillow off of one of their beds and, true to Snape's instructions, bludgeoned him upside the head with it. Which, naturally, turned in to a full-fledged pillow fight. They only stopped when Molly entered the room with a huge cake decorated with sixteen candles. She greeted Hermione warmly and left them to their celebrating.

About three hours of cake, food, jokes, stories, and people getting walloped by pillows went by. A couple people, such as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Charlie (who was visiting from Romania), and Remus Lupin came in at intervals to say hi. Around five, they began to hear sounds of commotion in the hallway and a few raised voices.

"-too dangerous at Mungo's, bring her up here, we'll take care of her."

"What about- ?"

"Hurry!"

Ginny ventured quietly out in to the hallway to find out what all the fuss was about. She had a few quick words with her mother and was shooed back in to the bedroom, looking slightly worried.

"What's going on, Gin?" Ron asked curiously.

"It's Tonks," she frowned, "I guess she got hurt. Mum says she'll be alright though, they're setting her up in a bedroom at the top of the house."

It took several seconds for these words to process with Hermione. When they finally did, she gave a cry of fear and jumped up.

"Whoa, Hermione! What's up?" Harry was looking at her concernedly.

"I have to- my parents- if Tonks-," she never finished a thought and, instead, moved for the door.

"Hey, Dumbledore said you've got to stay here," Ron said as Fred grabbed her arm gently to pull her away from the door. "No one can see you."

"No!" she exclaimed, wrenching her arm free, "I've got to-," she reached the door just as it was wrenched open. Without even thinking, without paying attention to the dark figure standing in the doorway, she tried to run out of it, but was grabbed and pulled back in to the room, door shutting.

"Let me go!" she cried out, "My parents!"

"Calm yourself!" She was half-dragged across the room on on to one of the beds.

"No, I need to get to the office, what if they've been-," she was cut off with a forceful voice.

"Miss Granger!"

She stopped struggling and looked up in to the face of Professor Snape, who all the others were eyeing in bewilderment. Snape released his grip around her waist when she stopped kicking her legs.

"Your parents are fine. Tonks got them out before she was hurt. They are fine and back at their safe-house."

"Oh," was all she could manage to say.

Snape rolled his eyes. "You are so predictable," he muttered. He stood up and left the room, ignoring the looks he was getting from the rest of them.

"Hermione?" Ron was looking at her cautiously, as though afraid she might attack. "Everything alright?"

"Oh yes," she said, regaining her composure. "But I always told my parents they were crazy to have a dental practice open on Saturdays."

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**A/N: I had a lot of fun writing that chapter. Hope you had fun reading it!**

**Cheers!**

**Lexi Lupin**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm dedicating this chapter to Lady Dracula and Coral Grace. I particularly appreciated the reviews submitted by the two of you. Keep up the good reviewing work everyone else…who knows…maybe the next chapter will be dedicated to you!**

**On a happy note: I have nearly 1000 hits for the story! This chapter should put it over the top!**

**Sorry this chapter took longer than usual. Stuff going on…school starting soon! Ugh…**

Disclaimer: It's all JK Rowling's…how unfortunate for me.

**Chapter 6**

"I'm glad you got to come and spend the day with us, Hermione," Ginny said sadly. "Too bad we won't see you for, I don't know, another month?"

Hermione grimaced at the thought. An entire month with no one to talk to except Snape and the occasional visit from Dumbledore or Remus.

"I'm glad I could come too. I'll miss you all so much," she said sincerely. She hugged each of them in turn. "Promise to write loads, got it?"

"We got it," Harry promised, hugging her last. Professor Dumbledore came in to the room and smiled at the group of them gathered there.

"You are all set, my dear?" he asked.

"As set as I'll ever be," she replied wistfully, looking around at the bunch of them, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George.

Dumbledore took her arm, turned, and they disappeared. When they completed the apparition, they were standing in a room Hermione didn't even recognize.

"Where are we, Professor?" she asked. "I thought we were-," she was cut off by a surprised shriek.

"Hermione!"

She turned to see her parents hurrying towards her, arms outstretched.

"I thought," Dumbledore explained, "this would be an opportune time to see your parents again, if only briefly. Severus told me how anxious you were upon finding out Tonks had been hurt."

"Mum! Dad!" Hermione was nearly suffocated (once more that day) as her parents embraced her. "I was so worried!"

"We're fine, honey," her father assured her, "if a tad shaken. That Tonks is quite the young woman. We were just heading home…it was quite scary actually."

"Now now, let's not frighten her," Hermione's mother admonished. "We were worried about you too, dear, imagine the house being attacked while we were gone! We've been ever so curious about where you've been."

"Sorry, mum," Hermione smiled, "top secret information, that is."

"Well, it was worth a shot."

Dumbledore had been right, the reunion was brief. In barely a quarter of an hour, they prepared to apparate for the third time that day. Hermione was definitely getting sick of it and beginning to feel a tad light-headed. With tears in their eyes, Hermione's mother and father gave her a final embrace.

"We love you dear," her mother said quietly.

"I love you too, Mum, Dad," she answered.

And they were gone.

When Hermione and Professor Dumbledore reappeared in Snape's house, Hermione was struck by a sudden thought.

"Professor? Can I ask you something?"

"Certainly. What is on your mind?" he asked amiably.

"Why can I not stay with my parents?" she asked. "You said they're safe there with members of the Order watching the house all the time. Wouldn't I be just as safe?"

"I assure you," he answered, "you are much safer in this house, if only for the reason we can use the Fidelius charm on it. Since your parents are muggles, there are certain restrictions on the magic we can use to protect them. If we cast the Fidelius charm on their house, they would never be able to find it. As long as you are here, you are virtually unable to be located but by those to whom Severus reveals the location of the house." He looked at her sadly. "I am sorry, Miss Granger. I know you are lonely here, as Severus is away most the time and even when he is here, is hardly a sociable man," his eyes twinkled slightly. Hermione laughed cynically. _That _was the understatement of the century. "I think some, as of yet unforeseen, good may come out of this however. Keep an open mind, Miss Granger, things may change for the better."

"Of course, thank you, sir," she smiled. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful. I know how much risk it was for Professor Snape to get me out of my house in time. I just miss my parents and friends."

"Naturally. It is difficult being separated so. I am afraid that I am going to have to depart as well though. In light of the recent attack on Nymphadora, there are some things to be taken care of at Grimmauld Place."

"You'll keep me updated on everything dealing with my parents?" Hermione asked earnestly.

"Of course I shall. Good day to you, Miss Granger."

And he was gone as well.

It was about 6:30 in the evening. Hermione suspected Snape was gone though she could not say for certain; even when he _was_ in the house, he generally stayed in one of the rooms she was not supposed to go in. She was extremely curious about the work he did but the thought of asking him didn't bode too well for her. He never quite seemed the type to share much about his personal life.

She had about two hours until it would get dark and she was ordered to stay in her room after that time so she figured she'd make the best of those hours: doing homework.

Normally she would do this in her room but with an entire magical library at her disposal…well, that was just too good an opportunity to pass up. So she walked slowly up the first flight of stairs on her way to the library, stopping on the way to retrieve her school things. Going down the hallway, however, she noticed the door in to Snape's study was half open. She found this very bizarre, as she had only ever seen the door closed. Not wanting to intrude on his privacy, but curiosity getting the better of her, she peered cautiously in to the room; and her breath caught in her throat.

There was a dark red substance all over the floor that looked suspiciously like blood. Summoning courage she didn't know she had, Hermione stepped over the threshold of the doorway, pushing it open ever so slightly to allow her entrance. She was beginning to panic, unsure just what she would find inside the room.

To her surprise, relief, and confusion, there was nothing out of the ordinary about the room at first glance except the pool of blood. Then she saw it- a bloody broken vial lay on the floor next to the desk. She crept carefully towards it, trying to avoid stepping in the small bloody rivers, and read the label.

She nearly laughed out loud. The label clearly read '**Dragon Blood- Swedish Shortsnout- 1 pint**.' Obviously he had dropped it in a hurry to- well, in a hurry for something and couldn't be bothered to clean it up. This explanation didn't entirely make sense, however. All it took was one quick spell to repair the vial and another to return the spilled ingredient…the work of a few seconds, merely. But she supposed Snape had his reasons and she wasn't about to question that. Well, she was; but not to his face.

She tiptoed back out of the room and shut the door approximately as much as it had been before. She would have cleaned the mess up but for two reasons. One, she was still sixteen and not allowed to use magic over the holidays, and she adhered strictly to this rule. Two, it would be kind of obvious to Snape who had done it and she figured he'd be mad if he found out she had entered his private study…that he had expressly forbidden her to go in to. She figured it was his own bloody fault, however, as he was the one who had left the door open. Ah well.

She continued back up to the extensive library at the top of the Snape house and began an essay on disillusionment charms, armed with three books on the topic, prepared to describe everything from the theory of the charm to the strange ways it could go wrong. After the self-prescribed two hours to work, she was only half done, though the essay was already two rolls of parchment. And this was merely the first draft. She yawned, however, and replaced the books, as she wasn't sure if Snape cared whether they were removed from the library. In any case, it had been quite an exciting day and she was prepared to go to sleep.

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The next morning, quite early in fact, Hermione awoke to Harmony's gentle prodding on her elbow.

"Ugh- too early- must sleep…" Harmony just continued to prod. Hermione sat up very suddenly and said, "WHAT?" Harmony squeaked and backed up a couple steps. "Oh- sorry, Harmony, I didn't mean to yell at you," she said kindly but drowsily, "I'm just rather out of it right now. What time is it?"

"It's five forty-seven," Harmony answered precisely.

"Why on _earth_ are you waking me at 5:47 in the bloody morning?" Hermione asked, burying her head under a pillow which stifled a groan.

"Master Snape ordered me to," she said quietly, almost fearfully. At this, Hermione sat bolt upright. For one thing, Harmony rarely referred to him as 'master.' Second, they actually got on quite well and she had _never_ heard Harmony sound frightened around her or Snape.

"Why?" Hermione questioned slowly, not allowing her mind to fear the worst- yet.

"I know not," Harmony answered, "he just says to bring you downstairs to him right away. Quickly," she added redundantly.

"And did he seem…angry? When he asked to see me?"

"Well he didn't really 'ask.' It was more of a demand."

Hermione rolled her eyes at the strange elf. "Very well, did he seem angry when he _demanded_ to see me?"

"Er- not _exactly_," she responded evasively, which provided Hermione with all the answer she needed.

"Right," she said to herself, "right. Don't panic. I'm sure it's just a simple misunderstanding."

Harmony disappeared when she realized Hermione was finally going to move. Hermione pulled her tired body out of bed and headed out of the room, through the hallway, and down the stairs, her own anxiety building with each step. She reached the bottom landing and realized she had no clue which room he was in. Harmony popped her head out of the sitting room.

"In here, in here!" she urged, beckoning Hermione forward. Trepidation mounting ever higher, Hermione turned the corner, headed in to the room-

And was met with a sight a hundred times worse than the dragon blood on the floor of the study.

There was blood everywhere. But this time it was obviously coming from a currently living body- Snape. His robes were ripped and bloodied, there were visible gashes on his uncovered face and arms. His right wrist appeared to be broken.

"Don't just stand there in the bloody doorway all day, do come in and join the party," he rasped sarcastically. Hermione had not moved and was taking in the mangled sight from the entrance to the room. She took a few hesitant steps toward him and eyed the collection of items Harmony had gathered; bandages, potions, a water-filled basin, cloths.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked quietly, terrified.

"You mean what _don't_ I need you to do?" he asked. "My wand wrist is broken, I am incapable of doing anything that must be done two-handed. I daresay in your adventures in the library at Hogwarts, you have read a book or three on healing?" Hermione nodded dumbly. "That will have to suffice for the moment. Come here and take this potion and open it. Dab some on this cloth here." She did as she was told. He took the wet cloth and dabbed it over the open gashes on his right arm and down to the wrist, hissing as he did so. Harmony watched the encounter anxiously from the opposite side of the room.

"Have you any familiarity with how to properly wrap a sprain?" Snape asked her bluntly.

"Well- yes, I know the basics. But for something that's broken, it won't do much-," he cut her off.

"Yes, I _know_ it won't do much good. However, unless you have the capabilities to fully mend the bone, that is the best we can do for the moment. It will hold it in place, at any rate."

She reluctantly agreed and grabbed the roll of bandages. "This is going to hurt," she warned.

He laughed derisively at her. "I think that is probably the least of my worries after what I've already been through, don't you concur?" he asked. Hermione flushed and sat down next to him, taking his wrist gingerly. She wrapped it as best she knew how from muggle first-aid classes she had taken during one summer. He hissed in pain once or twice which only made Hermione all the more nervous. Finally she finished; all in all, it wasn't bad.

The rest of the healing process went relatively smoothly, though he would need a trained medi-wizard to mend the wrist. Hermione, using Snape's wand, managed to close the open wounds after cleaning them thoroughly, her vow not to underage magic over the summer not extending to emergency situations such as this.

"Take the vial there- no the other," Snape directed, "and pour the replenishing potion in to it up to the top mark."

Hermione poured the dark potion and handed it to him; he downed it in one gulp, grimacing at the taste. She could almost see the color flow back in to his face; as much color as he usually had, anyway.

"My gratitude, Miss Granger," Snape acknowledged.

"Sir- if I may- I was wondering why you came here and not to Grimmauld Place where there are many fully trained witches and wizards who undoubtedly know more of healing spells than I do?" she said this all very quickly, not wanting to anger him.

He studied her a moment before answering. "Honestly, I was not of clear mind when I apparated. This is the first place I thought of, and I had not the energy to apparate again. However, your work sufficed long enough for me to get to someone to properly take care of the more serious of the injuries."

Hermione supposed she should take this as a compliment.

"I must go speak with Professor Dumbledore now," he stood up and prepared to leave. "Harmony will clean up in here." Hermione nodded and leaned over the table to begin collecting potion bottles.

"Oh, and Miss Granger?" She turned back to him. "When I return, we shall discuss why exactly you found the need to enter my private study which I expressly forbade you to go in to."

And he disappeared.

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**A/N: YAY! Another chapter done! Yay!**

**Thanks to all my reviewers thus far (I realize I don't say that enough…)**

**Did you like it? I didn't feel a lot happened there, but hey, we all need our filler space. **

**Bad news…duhduhduh…I'm leaving early in the day Tuesday and will be gone until late Thursday. We're going to the Upper Peninsula! (Michigan)…a handful of hours to drive, but hey, it should be nice and picturesque!**

**Anyway, the point being, no new chapters for a bit…longer than usual at any rate…and school starts next week Wednesday so I'll really be time-constrained. I have a weird pet-peeve about anyone knowing I'm working on a fic, so I don't usually type during the day when other people are around (it's 2:13 a.m. right now)…does anyone else have this problem?**

**Anywhoosits, leave me lots of nice reviews to come home to! (or bad ones if you don't like it, but I would like constructive stuff in either case)**

**Cheers!**

**Lexi**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: WOW! Sorry it's been so terribly long! I can assure you, this story has not been abandoned! School just kinda killed me and I haven't been in the proper state of mind to continue here. But I am still working, never fear!**

**Okay, has anyone seen the movie Red Eye? If so, the whole thing with her scar and all that…TOTALLY similar to how this story is, it was SOOO weird! I was kinda freaked out. **

**Anywhoosits…on with the show!**

Disclaimer: It's all…not mine. Bummer.

**Chapter 7**

"Will Hermione be wanting some tea or breakfast?"

Hermione could not even come close to comprehending the question, let alone answer it. She was staring in open-mouthed befuddlement at the place where Professor Snape had last stood before apparating. How on earth did he _always_ know? Thoughts ran through her head, ideas of muggle secret-agent-esque methods of spying and eavesdropping on people. He could have bugged the room or set up a hidden camera or-

Hermione forced herself to be rational. Obviously muggle techniques of watching people were out of the question in this magic-rich environment. Which left only one option…he _could _read minds!

Again, Hermione slapped herself mentally. However he knew, he knew, and going insane trying to figure out how he knew was going to do no one any good.

"Erm…Miss?"

Hermione jumped, forgetting about the worried house-elf still in the room. "Yes?"

"Would you like me to bring you anything?"

"Oh! No, thank you. Why don't you go wash yourself up? I'll go do the same and by the time I'm done, Professor Snape will probably be back, after which I'll never see the light of day again, so really, what's one missed breakfast, right?"

Harmony gave her a weird look which Hermione interpreted as _'What on earth is she smokin'?'_ and scampered off, disappearing with her usual _CRACK_.

Hermione trundled up the stairs and disappeared in to her hidden room. She wearily stripped off her pajamas and climbed in to a long hot shower. When she was finished, she pulled on her warm fluffy purple robe and combed her thick bushy hair out. Having been awoken so abruptly at 5:47 earlier that morning, Hermione was still quite tired and so she climbed back in to bed and drifted off to sleep once more.

She woke up in what she estimated was about an hour. Figuring it was about time to get dressed, she opened the closet to find something suitable to wear. Having done that, she left the room and made her way downstairs, properly hungry this time, and figuring it was no use waiting until Snape got home, in case that should be hours.

To her shock, she found him sitting at the dining room table already, drinking a cup of tea and chewing thoughtfully on a muffin. He nodded in acknowledgement of her presence and gestured for her to take the seat opposite him. She watched him apprehensively as he seemed to take a painfully long time to finish said muffin. Finally he popped the last bit in to his mouth, swallowed, and looked up at her sternly, though not necessarily angrily, to Hermione's surprise.

"Do you know why, Miss Granger, I asked- told, actually- you not to enter my potions lab and personal study when you first arrived here?"

"Yes," she said carefully, waiting for the blow to come.

"Why was that?"

"You have important work you do not wish to be destroyed or damaged," she answered slowly, feeling very nervous under his piercing gaze.

"Wrong," he admonished her, "that is merely the underlying reason. The true reason is your safety. Wouldn't it be most unfortunate if you were to escape attacking Death Eaters, only to be blown apart two weeks later because you accidentally knocked a vial of phoenix tears in to a batch of Wolfesbane potion? Ingredients, potions, are easily replaced. You, on the other hand, have only one chance to make a fatal error and that's the end. Besides," he added as an afterthought, "Albus would be most annoyed at me, I suspect, if the famous Hermione Granger died in my house while I was running around with the likes of Death Eaters. Are we clear on the matter?"

"I- ye- yes!" Hermione stammered, shocked at the temporary civility affecting Snape's character.

"I am not a person accustomed to having guests in my house. Therefore, I have found little need to be extra careful in the way I secure whatever I happen to be working on, and there are times when it is impossible to try and store a potion in progress. Having said that," Snape continued, "I stress upon you once more that you should not take the open door as a sign you are welcome to enter. There are chemicals and ingredients in that room that could do such horrible things to you, you wouldn't sleep for a week if I described them. Understood?"

Hermione could do little more than nod.

s

Snape surprised Hermione further one day the next week. He approached her while she was sitting in the library reading her fourth book since she had arrived, not including those she had utilized for her homework, which she had entirely finished three days earlier.

"You are restless, Miss Granger, am I correct?"

"Oh…well, yeah, a little, I suppose," she responded in surprise.

"Very well. Come with me." He led her downstairs and, most shockingly of all, in to the potions laboratory. "Touch nothing unless instructed to do so, and that is the only warning you will receive before I change my mind about this." Hermione nodded shakily, deciding it was best not to talk either, until asked a question.

"To what extent are you familiar with the brewing of Wolfesbane, Miss Granger?"

"Not very familiar, Sir," she said. "I have never been able to find the recipe in any of the potions books at school, I presume it is in the restricted section. Only Professor Lupin has ever told me a little bit about what goes in to it and the effect it has on his symptoms."

Snape nodded. "I see. Well, I am presenting you with the opportunity to learn about the brewing of the potion, and I will not deny that the assistance would be a great help at the moment."

"I would love to!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, I surmised as much. Here is what is happening then: this potion takes some two months to brew properly. Because of the way the full moon falls during the next few months, I am forced to work on three different potions at different stages for the next few days. One is nearly complete and, after tomorrow, has only to simmer for 13 days. One is at the most important stage of brewing and will require my undivided attention for a few hours each day this week. One we will begin today. You understand so far?"

"Yes, sir," she nodded.

"After having witnessed your work in class for five years, I presume I can trust you to follow relatively basic instructions to begin the next potion? The first steps, everything needing to be done today, are nothing more complicated than we have ever done in class so I am sure you shall perform them _admirably._" He said this snidely, but Hermione sensed an underlying compliment.

He showed her to the cauldron set aside for the potion, the ingredients already set out for her, and handed her the book with the instructions for making the potion. She set to work, frowning with concentration. Hermione was suddenly nervous, making a potion that she knew was going to go to actual use, not just the stuff they concocted in class for a grade. What if she messed up? Professor Lupin wouldn't have his Wolfesbane potion for a full moon and then what would happen to him? Hermione shook her head to clear her thoughts, afraid she would mess up the more she worried about it.

She chopped five three-inch strands of unicorn hair, as instructed by the book, and threw them in to the potion, stirring twice clockwise and nine times counter-clockwise. The potion began to bubble lightly and she moved to lower the flame underneath the cauldron but as she did so, her arm collided with Snape's, who had done the same.

"Pardon me, _sir,"_ she snarled, annoyed at his interference with the potion she was working on.

"My my, Miss Granger, quite the temper you have, and I was merely trying to offer my assistance whilst awaiting the simmering of my potion."

"Yes, sir," she said distractedly, while grinding up some dragon's claw, "but imagine if I had done that to you. Somehow, I think I'd be getting off with a bit worse than a few snapped words."

Snape raised his hands in defeat, backed away to his own cauldron, and made a noise Hermione could have sworn was a quiet chuckle. Which, of course, nearly made her drop her stirring rod in to the cauldron. Which, of course, would have ruined the potion. Damn that man.

s

"How much do you know of time turners, Miss Granger?"

It was a few mornings later. Hermione and Snape had been sitting in silence eating breakfast. They had reached something of a truce over the last few days which involved, if nothing else, actually speaking to each other regularly.

"Oh- erm, quite a bit, to be perfectly honest," she was a little embarrassed, realizing that most of her professors never had known about her use of the time turner in her third year. "Why?"

"Based on your knowledge, what do you think would be the effect of time travel on a potion? Your most basic antidote, your most complicated truth serum, anything. Would it be changed in any way through use of a time turner?"

"Yes, it's a possibility," Hermione answered, forgetting any embarrassment and jumping in to answer. "Though it varies based on the strength of the chemical structure of whatever is traveling through time. We, as humans, are obviously not in danger of being restructured by time travel. However, something as volatile as, let's say, veritaserum, could face reorganization of the chemical bonds holding the liquid together and thus, changing the substance and it's effects altogether."

Snape stared at her incredulously. "How on earth could you know that? Time turners are relatively new inventions, and if there was any research on the matter ever done, I would have found it in the hours I have spent going over books and manuscripts over the course of the last week."

"Oh…well…I did some experiments on my own," Hermione said rather vaguely.

"With the use of an illegal time turner?" He raised his eyebrow questioningly.

"It was not illegal!" Hermione insisted indignantly. "Professor McGonagall received permission for me to use a time turner to get to all of my classes during my third year at Hogwarts!"

"And you just happened to use it for more…extracurricular…activities?" Snape smirked at her.

"Erm…yes, something like that."

"Amazing. Did you document any of your findings?"

"Oh, yes, of course!" Hermione responded. "I have a notebook full of the effects of the time turner on different substances. It's in my trunk."

Snape pondered her for a moment. "Very well. Retrieve it and meet me back down here. We have much to discuss."

s

**A/N: **Well, there it is…again, sorry for the horribly long wait..I know, it was what, 3 months? Hopefully now I'm back in the swing of things, I'll get them out slightly more quickly… ☺

This chapter was slightly shorter than I like to make them, but I figure you've waited long enough and this was a good stopping point…

Any ideas? Anything you disliked? Anything you loved? Don't really care? In any case, leave me a message and make me happy (which will inspire me to write faster)…

Oh yeah, and Goblet of Fire was great! If you haven't seen it yet…well, what's wrong with you?

Cheers!

Lexi


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks as always to those who review…I'm glad to see that you guys (those of you who DO review) like the story so much…should I take this to mean that the people who don't say anything hate it? **

**Let's see…in case you're wondering where I'm heading with the story…Hermione will be going to school, probably in the beginning of the next chapter. Which, of course, will bring on a whole new set of funness for the story:P**

**So, on with it!**

Disclaimer: Sigh…still belongs to JK Rowling…life is such a drag.

**Chapter 8**

"That'll never work."

"Of course it will!"

"What makes you so sure?"

"I just am."

"You presume to know more about potion-making than I do?"

"Of course not, professor, but I presume to know more about muggle chemistry and physics than you do, coupled with more knowledge about the magical properties of time turners."

Snape sighed. "Run it by me once more, Miss Granger."

Hermione took a deep breath and launched in to her explanation for the third time in the last fifteen minutes. "You have a potion with the rough quantities of all the necessary ingredients you know you need. Your problem is that you can not find a way to manually mix the potion so it will have the correct chemical structure to ensure the correct ingredients begin taking effect at the correct time and in the correct order. By sending the potion through time, you disrupt the bonds between the molecules of the potion so that it restructures itself, though you may need to change the amount of certain ingredients before sending it through time if it does not come out perfectly."

"But what's to say that I end up with the potion I want and not, I don't know, a love potion that happens to also carry the correct ingredients?"

"First of all," Hermione continued, "there are no love potions that contain this particular combination of elements," Snape rolled his eyes, "and second of all, it's a simple matter of physics and reconfiguration of chemical and atomic bonds. There are only so many ways that substances can be bonded together. Worst case scenario, the potion does not change at all and you're left with what you started with." Hermione was unaware of what the potion was actually supposed to do- Snape had refused to tell her, but she had been trying to guess based on the substances with in the potion. She had thus far been incorrect in her musings.

"Very well," Snape resigned himself to accepting Hermione's conclusion on the matter. "I will try it. If I blow up or turn in to a turnip or something, don't think I won't spend the rest of my life haunting you."

"Deal." Hermione grinned cheekily as Snape got up, vial of potion in hand, and left the room to use the time turner. As he and Hermione had been sitting there for well over the past hour, he could not use the turner there for fear of harming himself once he went back in time.

That was the other slightly fishy thing about Snape's experiment, in Hermione's opinion. He had merely told her 'he had his ways,' when she'd asked how on earth he'd managed to procure a time turner over night. He had really been quite secretive about the whole matter.

Snape came strolling back in to the room a mere thirty seconds later, though it would have been a full hour for him. The potion had gone from a purplish color to a bright green. Hermione jumped up eagerly. "Did it work?"

"The color, consistency, concentration, all seem to be correct, yes," Snape said slowly. "I have spent the last hour in the lab doing experiments, everything seems to be in order. I," Snape paused, as if this caused him great pain to say, "commend your intelligence and logical thinking abilities, Miss Granger."

"Thank you, sir," Hermione said, pleased. "Can we go test it now?"

"We…that is to say, you," he replied, "will not be testing anything."

"But…that's not fair! I helped you develop the final product, why can't I see if it works?"

"Because, Miss Granger, there are certain things that should just be left…" he paused momentarily, sizing her up. "You truly wish to see the fruits of your labor?"

"Yes!" she insisted.

"Very well then," he said smoothly, "come with me."

Hermione could not explain why, but she felt a sudden rush of apprehension as Snape ushered her down in to his potions lab.

He led her over to a table, empty but for a small cage with rats in it. He seized one of the rats and held it, squirming, on the table so it could not escape. With his free hand, he grabbed a pipette and drew some of the green potion in to it. Forcing the mouth of the rat open, he dropped three drops down it's throat and let go of it.

Hermione watched raptly, waiting to see some kind of change. Within just a few seconds, the rat seemed to glow a green color like that of the potion before slumping down on the table, unmoving and not breathing.

Hermione gave a gasp of surprise. "Professor!- I don't think it worked properly!"

"No, Miss Granger, it worked exactly as intended. I avoided telling you of the purpose of the potion for a reason, and attempted to stop you from seeing it tested, but you insisted. I hope in the future, this encourages you to let things drop when warned."

"But-but you've simply created the killing curse as a potion!" Hermione closed her eyes and grabbed the edge of the table for support. "Oh, I don't feel so well," she muttered.

Snape grabbed her arm gently. "Here, why don't you go back upstairs and sit down for a-"

"Let go of me!" Hermione interrupted him. "How dare you! How dare you ask my help to create a deadly potion? How dare you-," she cut herself off, ran over to the sink basin, and heaved in to it.

Snape approached her cautiously and handed her a damp cloth, cleaning up the sink as well. Hermione allowed herself to be led weakly upstairs and sat down on the sofa in the sitting room.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "it's just that I don't want to feel partly responsible for the creation of a potion that could be used to kill hundreds of people."

"Then don't," Snape said simply. "If we're lucky, that potion will never be in the hands of anyone outside the Order. And I was going to tell you what the potion was once I started working on the next one: the counter-potion."

"You mean- that isn't for…"

"For the Dark Lord?" Snape gave a bark of laughter. "Hardly. It is purely in the interests of the Order that I began to conceive a way in which to transform the _Avada Kedavra_ curse in to a potion."

"I don't understand," said Hermione, confused. "Why would the Order want a potion that works like the killing curse?"

"That is not the potion the Order is interested in," Snape explained. "Rather, they have given me the task of developing the counter-potion. By finding the original potion, it gave me somewhere to begin in developing one to counter its effects."

"But why would you need one to counter it if you'll never use…Oh!" she suddenly realized. "Oh! You think if you can find a potion to counter the potion, it may also work against the curse itself?"

"Five points to Gryffindor, Miss Granger."

"You shouldn't even joke about something like that."

"Very well, five points _from_ Gryffindor. The magic of wandmaking is very complex. It is believed that, if you took all the elements within a wand that are used to perform a particular spell, you could turn that in to a potion that would do the same thing. Each wand has a main magical core, but miniscule amounts of about every other magical substance one could think of. I have been working long and hard with other members of the Order to try and discover which elements were involved with the killing curse, and only recently did we achieve that. As there is no known counter-curse, we ran with the theory of spells-to-potions with the intent of trying a counter-potion that would work against the curse as well. We had been unsuccessful, until the experiment with time dimensions."

Wheels were turning in Hermione's head. "So if every Auror took a drink of the counter-potion before going out to try and capture some Death Eaters…"

"Hopefully the killing curse would simply fizzle out when it hit them," Snape finished for her. "There is, however, the slightly more dangerous prospective that it may _bounce_ off them, and then who knows where it would go. And then there is also the idea that…"

"It may not work at all."

"Precisely," Snape agreed.

"Just out of curiosity," Hermione asked, "how long have you been trying to get this potion right?"

"About six months," Snape admitted ruefully.

Hermione started laughing. "All that time…and if I'd only have known…"

"Yes, well my mistake," Snape said sarcastically, "every time, from here on out, that I have trouble with a potion, you will be my first call."

Hermione nodded. "That sounds about right."

SCENE

The morning of August 31st arrived. Hermione realized with a shock that, if someone had told her two months ago that she'd be sad to leave Snape's company, she'd have thought they were mental. Today, however, she felt a certain pang of regret that she would rarely be able to have a civilized conversation with Snape for the nine months that they were in school. And so she decided to do what she had always done when in a depressed mood: bake things.

Snape was gone for the moment, but she figured that was probably a good thing, as he wouldn't be able to understand why she didn't just ask Harmony for some brownies. Hermione walked in to the kitchen and almost immediately was confronted by the small house-elf.

"Can I get anything for you, Hermione?" she asked.

"Um…just the ingredients and dishware necessary to make a tray of brownies," Hermione responded, looking around and realizing she had no clue where anything was.

"Hermione would like some brownies?" Harmony asked, confused.

"Yes," explained Hermione patiently, "but I want to make my own brownies."

"But…why?" Harmony asked, now thoroughly confused.

"Because…because I like baking things!" Hermione said, smiling. "Come now, I won't mess anything up, you can trust me."

"I- well- okay…" Harmony gathered the required items in a flash on the counter. "Do you need anything else?"

"Nope!" Hermione said cheerily, "you can just run off and do something else, no need to worry about the kitchen, I'll take good care of everything."

"Oh…alright…" Harmony left the kitchen but paced nervously outside the door. About ten minutes later, Snape came home. He found Harmony, still awaiting nervously to see the damage done to her precious kitchen.

"Are you alright?" Snape asked, looking at her oddly.

Harmony shook her head, her bat-like ears flapping back and forth.

"What's wrong? Where's Miss Granger?"

"Miss is in the kitchen," Harmony whispered, as if this was a scandalous turn of events, "_cooking!_"

"I see," Snape said slowly, though of course, he really did not. "Why don't I just go in and make sure everything's alright?"

So he entered the kitchen…and nearly choked on the flour dust in the air. Hermione was standing at a huge bowl mixing several ingredients together and humming.

"Miss Granger, what on earth _are_ you doing?"

"What does it look like?" she asked irritably. "I'm baking brownies!"

She turned around and Snape could not help but laugh.

"What?" she demanded.

"Well, Miss Granger," he replied, "apart from the absurd look of wearing an apron and chef's hat, you seem to have flour on your nose."

Hermione smiled at him sweetly, stuck her hand in to the flour bag, sauntered over to him, and threw a handful in to his face. Snape did not even bat an eye.

"You realize you will ever be able to use that flour again, now that you've stuck your hand in to the bag?" he asked coolly.

"That's alright," she responded, "I really had no intentions of ever using it again." And with that, she dumped the half-empty bag over his head and stood there giggling at him.

Snape examined his, now dusty-white, robes, and looked around the kitchen. Spotting something, he drew out his wand and summoned it to him.

"That's not fair, I can't use- ah!" Hermione exclaimed. The 'something' had stopped and emptied itself over her head. It was a jar of chocolate sauce. "That's it!" she yelled, "this is war!"

SCENE

"Wow- those taste quite horrid, Miss Granger," Snape said amiably, after taking a cautious bite out of a brownie. They were sitting on the floor in the one clean corner of the kitchen, tray of brownies set down in front of them.

"Yeah," agreed Hermione, chucking her brownie remnants back on to the tray. "What do you figure did it?"

"Well," pondered Snape, "I'm betting on either the fact that you only put in about a fourth the recommended amount of sugar before throwing the rest of the bag at me…"

"Or that you poured in the entire bottle of vanilla?" Hermione finished.

"Precisely."

"Yeah, that'd probably do it," she concluded.

"See, now I was worried about the two of you not getting along!" a voice exclaimed from the doorway. Hermione and Snape looked up in surprise to see Professor Dumbledore standing there, looking amused. "I just spoke with your house-elf, Severus, who assured me that you were 'having an awful fight and throwing things at each other and messing up her kitchen!'."

"Well that's not true at all!" Hermione exclaimed indignantly.

"Except for the food fight," Snape interjected.

"And the throwing of things," Hermione added.

"And the kitchen is a bloody mess," Snape finished. "So yeah, that's about right." The two just looked at Dumbledore and shrugged.

SCENE

**A/N: Yay, another chappie done. Wrote it all today. I REALLY liked writing this one, it was a lot of fun…so I hope that means you liked it too!**

**Please leave me a review…it inspires me to write faster, ya know…**

**Have fun, don't hurt yourself, and eat lots of veggies. **

**Cheers!**

**Lexi**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Well, aren't we just coming along rather nicely here. 8 chapters down…who knows how many more to go?**

Disclaimer: Do we REALLY need to go through this EVERY time?

**Chapter 9**

"Do try to not get yourself in _too_ much trouble this year, won't you, Miss Granger? Perhaps for one year, you can manage to keep those dunderheaded friends of yours out of trouble." Hermione rolled her eyes and sneered at him. "Then again, I doubt it."

"It's not like we _try_, professor," she insisted. "But something always seems to come up that Harry just can't stay out of, and it's all downhill from there."

Snape snorted. "I suppose that's putting it mildly."

Dumbledore stood inconspicuously in the corner, as Hermione and Snape exchanged farewells. He was to take Hermione back to Grimmauld Place for her last night before school. Excited as she was to finally be able to see her friends again, and for more than just a few hours, she would be sad to leave Snape's company, knowing they would have to behave towards each other the same way they always had once they were back in school, under the scrutiny of her classmates and the teachers.

"Thank you for everything," Hermione said.

"And you," Snape returned. "Your presence has been…surprisingly tolerable."

Dumbledore emerged from the corner. "Come Miss Granger," he said gently, "it is time." He took her arm, said goodbye to Snape, and apparated to number twelve Grimmauld Place.

The first thing Hermione's mind registered as it recovered from side-along apparition was the smell of a delicious meal cooking in the room next to the one she was currently in. The second thing was the pair of emerald eyes peering at her from over the top of a book. Harry was sitting on the couch, reading a book on defensive magic. A few seconds later, he jumped up and leapt towards Hermione, shouting for Ron as he did so.

Hermione laughed and hugged Harry. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ron go skidding out in the hallway past the parlor, then come ambling back, trying to appear nonchalant.

"Hermione!" he exclaimed. "We were wondering if we'd even get to see you before term started again!"

"You just want me to check over your homework before you have to turn it in," she joked good-naturedly. Ron muttered a bit about how mental she was before she laughed and pulled him in to a hug as well.

"Your belongings are in young Miss Weasley's room," Dumbledore explained to Hermione. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must go see what's for dinner, smells just wonderful…" and he strolled out of the room in the general direction of the kitchen.

"Come on, Hermione, let's go upstairs and see the others before dinner," Harry and Ron dragged her to the stairs and they headed towards their bedrooms and those of the other Weasley children.

Fred and George appeared out of nowhere on either side of Hermione, wrapping their arms around her shoulders, and saying, "Hello, love," in perfect unison. She laughed and shrugged them off, slightly wary of any jokes they might, even now, be scheming.

"Hey now, we're only trying to be friendly."

"Welcoming."

"Courteous."

"Chivalrous."

"Considerate."

"Be that as it may, I think I've well learned over the past five years not to trust you any farther than I can throw you." The three Weasley's stared at her quizzically.

"Erm…Hermione? Why would you throw Fred or George?" Ron was confused.

"It's an expression! A muggle expression…because you can't throw people very…forget it. And you keep quiet!" she reprimanded Harry, who was laughing quietly in the background.

"Whatever you say, Hermione," he raised his arms defensively, mirth evident in his eyes. "Come on. Let's go up to mine and Ron's room and talk."

SCENE

"So you heard about Fudge, I presume?" Harry questioned Hermione. She nodded.

"Yes, I've been keeping up fairly well with the Daily Prophet. Fudge resigning is hardly a loss for our part, but what about this new fellow? Yestin? I just haven't been able to get a feel for his position on…well, anything!"

"Well that's the point, isn't it?" George interjected. "No one opposes him because he doesn't really stand one way or the other on anything. Convenient, isn't it? But he at least supports Dumbledore, so I suppose he's a step in the right direction. They served on the Wizengamot together, I heard."

"I bet you didn't hear about Karkaroff though!" Fred exclaimed suddenly. "That's something that's been kept quite quiet. The only reason we know is because of Snape."

"Know what?" Hermione asked, because she had heard nothing concerning Igor Karkaroff, former headmaster of Durmstrang, since the end of her fourth year at Hogwarts. Whatever it was, she wondered why Snape never told her.

"The death eaters finally caught up with him," Fred said grimly.

"'Twas only a matter of time, really," George added.

"And?" Hermione prompted. "What did they do to him?"

"Something awful, we heard," Ron put in. "Ginny nearly lost her lunch when dad told us. Swore us to secrecy, of course, something like that could cause panic, if people heard what kinds of things death eaters were up to. But you don't really count, so we can tell you."

But no one seemed very anxious to be the one to tell the tale. They sat there, staring awkwardly back and forth at one another, until they heard Mrs. Weasley's shrill voice yelling, "dinner!"

Everyone stood up, somewhat relieved. "Another time," Fred said. "Such things are not worth discussing and ruining a good meal."

They all agreed and headed back down the stairs, looking forward to their last dinner in Grimmauld Place before returning to Hogwarts.

SCENE

Sitting at the large table, Hermione surveyed the members of the Order sitting around her. There were the regulars, Tonks, Mundungus, Lupin, and Moody, not to mention the rather large Weasley clan. Then there were those seen less frequently; Kingsley Shacklebolt, Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall, and a woman whose name Hermione couldn't quite remember. Hermione noticed with a pang of sorrow the empty seat between Harry and Remus which Sirius used to occupy. Apparently no one had the heart to sit there now.

A few minutes after everyone had begun eating, the door to the dining room opened. Hermione looked up and nearly choked on her soup to see Snape standing there.

"Ah, Severus!" Molly stood up and immediately began putting a plate together for him. "Wonderful to see you, do sit down for dinner. What brings you here tonight?"

Snape looked up and down the table sneeringly. "Albus…_requested_ my presence." Hermione could tell from the scathing tone it was less of a request than a demand. Snape accepted the plate from Molly, muttering his thanks, and walked the length of the table to take the empty seat next to Dumbledore. He paused as he passed Hermione.

"Ah, Miss Granger," he said snidely. "How _lovely_ to see you have returned unscathed from…_wherever_ you were." Harry and the Weasley children stared daggers at Snape, but Hermione just returned his gaze coolly.

"Why, Professor," she said in a sickly sweet voice, "I didn't know you cared."

"You would do well to watch that tone of yours," Snape advised, "for term starts tomorrow, and it would be _dreadful_ for Gryffindor to lose points so quickly at the start of the year." Hermione said nothing, and Snape continued on his way and sat down. She pretended to be annoyed, but was laughing inside, knowing the entire exchange had been as much of a joke to Snape as to her.

"Trust Snape to be so…_Snapey_," Fred muttered to the others under his breath.

"Yeah," Hermione muttered. Trying to change the subject, she turned suddenly to Fred and George. "So I hear the two of you have quite the hopping shop set up now in Diagon Alley?"

"Oh, it's bloody brilliant!" Ginny exclaimed. "Better than Zonko's, by a long shot!"

"Absolutely," George put in, "it's a shame you didn't have to opportunity to see it with everyone else. Everything you could ever want, as a practical joker: skiving snackboxes, fireworks, instant darkness powder, you name it."

"You know…," Fred began ponderously.

"Exactly what I was thinking," concluded George.

"What?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Nothing," Fred said innocently. "Just that the night is still young. And I distinctly recall leaving something important at the store when we closed up this afternoon."

"Yeah, it'd be a bloody shame if we didn't retrieve…_that_," George interjected.

"I'm sure," Hermione laughed. "And it'd just happen to be the _perfect_ opportunity to show me the store, I suppose?"

"What?" George asked. "We never even considered such a possibility. But now that you mention it…"

"We'll sneak off quietly right after dinner," Fred said in a low voice. "Just the three of us, and just for a few minutes. Mum would flip her lid if she found out we took you out of the house, even briefly."

And so the three of them conveniently finished their meals first and went back upstairs, followed shortly thereafter by Ron, Harry, and Ginny.

"The two of you know how to do side-along apparition?" Hermione asked nervously. "I mean…well?"

"Of course," they exclaimed, "never fear; we shan't be splinching you tonight."

And they departed, apparating directly outside the door of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. And found Diagon Alley in a bit of an uproar. Being already eight o'clock, many shops would be closed and the crowd would be well thinned out. Tonight, however, many people crowded the streets, none of them doing any shopping. Aurors could be seen rushing up the row of shops, peering in to dark shop windows and down dark alleyways.

Fred and George rushed Hermione inside their little store, figuring it for the best if she avoided being seen. George then slipped out to ask someone what all the fuss was about, returning a couple minutes later looking rather worried.

"It's old Ollivander," he said. Hermione gasped. "Missing. No sign of a struggle. Seems like it just happened, or just found out about, at any rate."

"We need to leave," Fred said immediately. "They'll be finding out about this at headquarters within the quarter hour. We may as well be the ones to tell everyone; and just fail to mention Hermione was ever here. Sorry," he added to her. "I suppose you'll have to wait another day to see the rest of the shop."

"It's fine," Hermione said weakly, waving off the apology. The three apparated back, causing Harry, Ron, and Ginny to jump at their sudden early reappearance. Fred and George disappeared back down the stairs to be the bearers of bad tidings, leaving Hermione to share the little bit of information she had from George.

"What'll that mean though," Ginny pondered, "for our side. I mean, there are other wandmakers."

Harry shrugged. "Ollivander was the best. Not to mention he's a good friend of Dumbledore and has a lot of information that could possibly be valuable. That is, of course, if Voldemort's side has him at all," he added hastily. "He could have left on his own."

No one knew what else to say, so they sat in disturbed silence.

SCENE 

Late that night, Hermione lay awake in bed, desperately trying to fall asleep, knowing she needed to wake up fairly early to get ready for the beginning of term. She wasn't sure if it was the fact that she was sleeping in a different bed than she had all summer, or if it was something to do with the sound of Ginny's breathing across the room, but whatever the reason, she just could not coax her brain to drift in to unconsciousness.

Giving up and sighing in frustration, she swung her feet out of bed and checked the time: nearly one in the morning. Figuring everyone else would be in bed and she wouldn't disturb anyone, she quietly left the room to go down to the kitchen to have a glass of milk.

She started a bit when she realized someone was already in the kitchen, sitting at the table. She started a bit more when she realized who it was.

"You're here awfully late, Professor," she said.

Snape did not respond right away as he surveyed her in the semi-darkness. Finally he spoke up.

"Should you not be asleep by this time?" he observed quietly.

"Couldn't sleep," she stated. He nodded his understanding.

"Come sit, Miss Granger," he indicated the chair across from his own. She first poured herself a glass of milk and then obliged, facing him across the dark table.

"I do not tell you this to scare you," he broke a long silence, "but rather to keep you on your highest guard. You must understand the predicament you now find yourself in. If possible, your situation has grown more precarious than it had already been."

"What do you mean?" she asked, somewhat confused.

"Before this summer," began Snape, "you already had three strikes against you, as far as the Death Eaters are concerned: friend of Harry Potter, muggleborn, and a muggleborn friend of Harry Potter who was top of her class every year at Hogwarts. You are the very antithesis of what they stand for. And now, you have disappeared under the Dark Lord's very nose. When he finds out you returned to school as normal, after being completely hidden for over two months, his anger towards you will increase all the more. By embarrassing the death eater sent to kidnap you, you have consequently embarrassed the Dark Lord himself as well. Something he does not take well to, I can assure you."

"What would you recommend then?" Hermione asked.

"Just that you use caution at school. Remember how many students have connections to the Dark Lord. Be careful of what you say, and be careful of whom you trust. Use even greater caution, should you venture in to Hogsmeade. The village does not have the security provided to the castle."

Hermione had the distinct impression he knew exactly what had happened earlier that evening with Fred and George, but he did not bring it up, and for that, she was grateful.

SCENE 

**A/N: Yay. Another chapter all done. Sorry it took longer than expected. I've been crazy busy with work and school over the holidays. So…**

**But yeah. You know the drill. **

**We get to go back to Hogwarts next chapter…yay!**

**Cheers!**

**Lexi**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Okay. So I know. I totally blew it. It's been months. Hate me all you want. Sorry. But read and review first. **

Disclaimer: Yeah yeah…not mine, how sad, all that crap.

**Chapter 10** (lucky 10!)

"Hermione, you really have to get up now!" Ginny was shrieking at the top of her lungs, having already yelled at Hermione twice to get up. "We leave in less than an hour!"

Hermione grumbled under her breath but finally managed to pull herself in to a sitting position. She had been up much later than accustomed on nights when she had to get up early the next morning. Suddenly it struck her: she was leaving in…she checked her bedside clock…56 minutes to return to school and not come back until at least Christmastime. Which meant everything had to be meticulously gone over and planned out to make sure she had everything she would need. Which Ginny insisted was dumb, since Hermione's trunk had been packed already, when she came back to Grimmauld Place the day before. But that was just Hermione's way.

The group of them returning to school- Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny- hastily shoved breakfast down their throats before being ushered out the door by Molly. They were being escorted to King's Cross by the usual suspects; Tonks, Molly, Arthur, Kingsley, Lupin, Moody, to name a few. They were a quite interesting-looking group, to say the least. Harry had Hedwig's cage, which stood out like a sore thumb, Tonks had her green hair, Moody his peg leg and ever-rotating eyeball.

Despite their high profiled-ness, they made it to the train station platform, 9 ¾ without incident. They had borrowed Ministry cars, as they had done a couple times in the past, cars that were magically enlarged to fit their huge group, though it must have looked extremely strange to a passer-by to see all these bizarre people climbing out of one relatively small car. Hermione smiled inwardly as she thought of the classic muggle clown car cartoon, where dozens of clowns all pile out of one tiny automobile. She did not even bother trying to bring this one up with the crowd present; Arthur would have delightedly tried to understand what a clown was, and everyone else would just think she had gone bonkers.

Hermione thought sadly of Snape. She knew they would rarely be able to converse regularly, if at all. Oddly enough, she would miss is caustic wit and sarcastic humor. She felt she had been able to learn something about him in their time spent together, something that enabled her to understand him a little better and, in turn, get along better with him. That would be all but impossible at school.

"Hermione?" Ron waved his hand in front of her face. "We're here. You've been awfully quiet this whole time. Whatcha' thinkin' about?"

"Nothing, Ron," she replied. "Nothing. I'm just awfully tired. And glad to be able to see you guys again. It's been a while."

"Yeah, it has," agreed Harry. "We have a lot of catching up to do." He looked pointedly at Hermione and she gave a start.

"What do you mean?" she asked in confusion.

Harry looked around at the adults of the Order who were their escort. "Nothing," he muttered. "We'll talk about it later."

Hermione nodded and pulled her trunk across the platform. "We'll go find a compartment and meet you guys back here to say goodbye, okay?" She left with Ron and Harry to find an empty place where they could sit and enjoy themselves for the multi-hour train ride. As they were re-exiting the train, Hermione felt a sudden chill go down her spine. She looked around, feeling as if she were being watched. She saw nothing and shrugged it off, hurrying to catch up with the others who were going to say farewell to the members of the Order.

Everyone exchanged hugs, said their goodbyes, and gave last minute pieces of advice for the upcoming school year. Lupin took Hermione aside and spoke with her quietly.

"I want you to be extra cautious this year, Hermione," he said urgently. "I can not explain why, but I just have this feeling that there is much more in store for you than the others, much more than you've ever had to deal with. That is not necessarily a bad thing, I don't know. But I think there are trials in your future for which you will have to be well-prepared."

Hermione smiled up at him. "Thanks for your concern," she said sincerely. "You know me though. I'll take whatever anyone throws at me." She leaned up and gave him a peck on the cheek, and then it was time to board the train.

As she was nearing the train, a quiet voice hissed, "Granger!" Startled, Hermione turned, only to be met with the cold grey eyes of Lucius Malfoy. He was wearing an amused smirk with something else unidentifiable in his eyes.

"Malfoy," she acknowledged coldly. She noticed a couple of the Order members take a warning step in her direction but she just turned to board the train.

"I'd watch yourself this year, Granger," he hissed. "The Dark Lord doesn't like those who escape under his very nose. Especially mudblood slime."

Hermione merely smirked at him. "Perhaps he should keep a better eye below his nose from now on then," she replied. And with that, she got on the train and didn't look back.

As she eased her way along the aisle to the compartment her, Harry, and Ron were sharing, she failed to notice the second pair of grey eyes that followed her as she opened the door and entered the cabin.

The train was well along its way when Hermione remembered what Harry had said. "You wanted to ask me something, Harry?" she said confusedly.

"Hm?" he murmured.

"You said we had 'catching up to do'."

"Oh, right." Harry had been dozing off but he was wide awake now. "We didn't push this over the summer when we saw you because of all the Order members around. But they're gone now and you know we can keep a secret Hermione."

Hermione raised her eyebrows in an almost threatening manner.

"Where were you all summer, Hermione?"

Hermione groaned inwardly. She knew they would ask eventually. She frowned at him. "I really can't tell you. Not today Harry."

"But," Ron interjected, "we tell each other everything. Almost," he added as an afterthought.

Hermione shrugged. "I guess this is just going to have to be one of those exceptions," she said. "Like the time turner. Dumbledore swore me to secrecy. If even the rumor of where I had been got out, it could mean dire consequences for the Order. I'm sorry. I really wish I could tell you."

Harry shrugged and said, "That's alright." He seemed a little sulky to Hermione for a few minutes, but he got over it as they got in to a game of Exploding Snap.

SCENE

"Firs' years, firs' years, follow me! Budge up there, move along now!" Harry, Ron, and Hermione grinned and waved at their half-giant friend who was herding a small sea of terrified first years to the docks so they could take the traditional boat ride across the lake before the sorting ceremony.

The three searched for space in one of the horseless carriages- pulled by thestrals, invisible to all but a few, as they learned last year- and found one unoccupied except for Neville Longbottom. They exchanged pleasantries but Hermione felt a sense of growing unease, which she could not even begin to fully explain to herself. She was back at school. Dumbledore was at Hogwarts. Dumbledore equaled safe.

She knew that wasn't true though. All the bad things seemed to happen during the school year under Dumbledore's very nose. Grimmauld Place was much safer, guarded by some of the most powerful witches and wizards of the day, kept secret under the Fidelius charm. But Hogwarts was Hogwarts and she loved it there better than anywhere else in the wizarding world.

They reached the castle gates and poured in to the Great Hall. Some teachers were already present and chatting up at the head table. Students staked out seats with their friends at their respective house table. There was the usual amount of muttering and not-so-discreet pointing in Harry's general direction. It wasn't so bad with the older students who already knew Harry; it was the first years they would have to watch out for.

The first years finally entered the Hall, clumped together in a scared knot of people. They looked apprehensively around them, staring up at the enchanted ceiling in awe, peering at the faces of the older students around them. Hermione caught the eyes of a few and smiled encouragingly, trying to do her best to ease their fears of what was to follow. Hermione remembered when she thought the sorting would be a public test of intelligence and how she had prepared ahead of time for it. She smiled inwardly at how eccentric she must have seemed to all the other students.

Everyone seemed settled down at this point, and Professor Flitwick, the charms instructor, entered the Hall carrying a three-legged stool and the sorting hat. It sang its song, much to the bewilderment of some of the new students (and the amusement of some of the older) and the sorting commenced.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione tuned out the sorting, clapping absent-mindedly when the rest of their table clapped. They were quietly discussing the occupants of the head table, who was present, who wasn't, who might of retired (who might of died), and who they hoped had been sacked.

"'Course we can always keep our hopes up about Snape being sacked," Ron said.

"Don't be silly," Hermione replied brusquely, "obviously Dumbledore isn't going to sack Snape _now_, of all times."

"Well," Harry intervened, "I won't completely crush my hopes until I see Snape in the flesh and verify that he _is_ here."

"He isn't here?" Hermione asked suddenly. She had not glanced down at his end of the table, it was being obscured by the gradually diminishing line of first year students. "That's odd. Don't you think?"

"Eh," said Ron glibly, "he's probably just off running around with the likes of Lucius Malfoy, Peter Pettigrew…you know, his death-…"

Harry and Hermione cut him off, glancing around to see if anyone was paying any attention to them.

"Good lord, Ron," Harry exclaimed, "are you trying to get us all in trouble?"

Ron opened his mouth to protest but was interrupted, and quickly distracted, as the sorting ended and the feast began.

"Oh, wicked!" he exclaimed, as he dug in to the nearest plate of mashed potatoes.

Hermione just happened to glance up at the head table at the precise moment the staff door behind the table opened. Snape came through, looking somewhat haggard, in Hermione's opinion. He leaned over and spoke a few words with Dumbledore, then turned and left through the door again. Hermione glanced around her. The feast had only just begun.

"I'll be right back," she said vaguely to Harry and Ron.

"War'r ya gwoin'?" Ron demanded through a mouthful of chicken.

"Just to the loo, be right back." Hermione knew that she could be gone half an hour before the boys even looked up from the feast and realized she was missing.

She discreetly made her way to the doors of the Great Hall and slipped out of them. She cautiously made her way to the stairs leading to the dungeons and looked down them, debating whether or not she should dare going down them.

"Just what are you doing, snooping around, Granger?"

Hermione turned to meet the cold eyes of Draco Malfoy.

"Not that it's any of _your_ business, Malfoy, but I was going to the loo. What are you doing? Following me?"

"Oh no," replied Malfoy nonchalantly, "I was just going to grab something from my dormitory. Have you lost your way? You know the loo is," he pointed, "that way?"

"Don't be an idiot, Malfoy," Hermione snarled, "you know they won't have taken our baggage to our common rooms yet."

"My, my," came a silky voice from behind them. "Term has not even started yet and there is already a scuffle between Gryffindor and Slytherin." Hermione and Draco turned to face Snape, heading from the general direction of the kitchens, sandwich in hand. "Should the two of you not be in the feast, stuffing your faces, enjoying your adolescence?"

"Well," began Malfoy smoothly, "I saw Granger here sneak out and felt it my _duty_ to see what she was up to." Snape raised his eyebrows questioningly at Hermione.

"I was just going to use the loo, Professor," Hermione muttered.

"Which explains exactly why you were heading in the direction of the dungeons," Draco said in a sickeningly sweet voice. Snape whipped his head around to stare at Hermione.

"Thank you, Draco, you may go back to the feast."

"But, sir…"

"I will take care of Miss Granger, return to the feast, Draco."

Malfoy muttered an acquiescence and returned to the Great Hall.

Snape watched him go and waited for the giant oak doors to loudly close again. He then took Hermione by the arm and led her to an empty classroom a short way down a hallway and put a silencing spell on the room.

"What were you doing, Miss Granger?"

"I," she faltered for words, knowing he would be angry, "I saw you come in late, and I just thought, everyone was at the feast, so I assumed…"

"Never assume anything," Snape cut her off, not harshly, but sternly. "There could always be someone watching or listening. I think I hardly need remind you that you absolutely can not be seen in the dungeons apart from your regular class times?"

"No, sir," she murmured quietly.

He looked at her for a few more moments. "Very well," he said, "go back to the feast."

She turned to leave.

"Oh, one more thing, Miss Granger." She turned back.

"Try to avoid situations in which you are caught alone with the child of a death eater. Travel in pairs when at all possible."

Hermione smiled faintly and nodded. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright," she explained.

"I am fine. Lucius told the Dark Lord you got on the train this morning, accompanied by suspected members of the Order. He wished to know why I had no prior knowledge of this to share with him. Obviously I told him I had no idea, Dumbledore must have retrieved you from hiding early this morning. The usual mundane happenings of every meeting." He peered at her in the semi-darkness. "I…appreciate your concern," he said with effort. "Go enjoy the feast now."

Hermione returned to the Great Hall and slipped back in. She made her way over to Gryffindor table, refusing to meet Draco's eyes along the way. Just as she suspected, Harry and Ron gave no sign of having realized she had been gone so long.

SCENE

**A/N: Well…there we have it…after…what…I dunno, several months. I hope none of you hate me now…**

**We should get back in to the action soon…either next chapter or the one after, unsure yet. **

**Only…um…about 8 more days of school for me. Yay! And then the week after, I go to France for 2 weeks! Yay!**

**Hopefully we'll get at least 1 more chapter before that time, I'm hoping for 2. But I always say that and it never happens, so who knows? **

**As always…read and review!**

**Cheers!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: So, like I said, it never happens. Sorry. I know I'm horrible about updating. Yeah. **

Disclaimer: um…yeah…we know this already, right?

Chapter 11

Term quickly fell in to its usual pace as everyone started up their classes again. Hermione had decided to keep most of the same ones from the previous year, dropping only Astronomy, Care of Magical Creatures, and History of Magic. Harry and Ron had dropped those three as well, and all felt rather bad about dropping Hagrid's class. They made sure, however, to go talk to him during the first few days of school to make sure there were no hard feelings on anyone's part. They went down after classes on Wednesday afternoon.

They knocked on the door and immediately, Fang began his loud, booming barking. Hagrid could be heard trying to wrestle Fang back away from the door so he himself could open it. He succeeded after a few moments and let the three of them in.

Tea was served and they spent several minutes discussing the summer but then the conversation turned to school.

"My firs' class is t'morrow," Hagrid beamed, "I kin har'ly wait to show you all the new stuff I've got cook'd up for this year."

"Actually, Hagrid," began Harry, "that's what we wanted to talk to you about."

"Eh?" Hagrid asked.

"Well, you see," Hermione said, "with all the N.E.W.T. classes this year, we all had to make some changes. And with studying time thrown in there, we just didn't have the time for all the classes we would have liked to take."

"Oh." Hagrid looked slightly dispirited. "So yer all not takin' me class then?"

"We'd still love to see the stuff you have for your classes though," Ron put in. The others nodded in earnest.

Hagrid smiled and said there were no hard feelings but his attitude did seem slightly frostier for the rest of their visit.

The next day the three of them all sat through their newt level transfiguration course. Friday, Harry and Hermione would go to newt potions while Ron would have a free period. Hermione was rather nervous about her first potions class. She wondered how Snape would act towards her and whether she would be able to keep up the façade of hating him passionately. Harry had surprised himself with his O.W.L potions scores. He had earned an O in the written and an E in the practical. Snape had reluctantly agreed to take him in the class since he had at least earned one O. Ron had earned two E's but had smartly realized during the summer that he really did not want to be an auror after all; it had been more of a prestige thing at the time, it sounded cool. He was now more interested in something having to do with charms, like being a curse breaker like his older brother Bill.

The transfiguration class was only slightly smaller than it had been the previous year. Of the Gryffindors, only Neville and Lavender had dropped, along with a few of the Ravenclaws that shared their class. Today they were transfiguring stuffed animals in to real animals. Halfway through the class Harry and Ron leaned in to talk to her.

"So, this might give you a chuckle. We think that Snape has a _girlfriend_!" Hermione started and sent sparks flying out of her wand.

"Miss Granger!" McGonagall snapped at her. "Do control yourself!" There was a general chuckle around the room and Hermione turned slightly red before turning back to the boys, who were also laughing at her.

"Why on earth would you say something like that," she muttered.

"Just a conversation we overheard with him and Dumbledore over the holidays, using the extendable ears. We merely caught the end of it, unfortunately," Ron sniggered.

"What were they saying?" she asked.

"It had something to do with a pensieve I think," Harry explained. "Dumbledore wanted Snape to put certain memories in it and he was arguing and saying he was a good enough Occlumens and didn't need to."

"That could mean anything," Hermione frowned.

"Yeah, but the last thing we heard before mum was coming was something like, 'if he entertains even the slightest thought in his head that she is with you, we're all in huge trouble.' So obviously it has something to do with a girl, maybe someone You-Know-Who doesn't like too much."

"Yeah," Harry put in, "and Dumbledore wants him to protect her and himself by taking the memories out of his head. Snape said, though, that he'd never leave a pensieve full of memories anywhere near me," he chuckled a little, but Hermione thought it sounded fake.

"Did Snape say anything else about it?" Hermione asked, trying to sound mildly amused and interested. Inside though, her heart was sinking. Harry and Ron already knew too much.

"Not really." Harry dropped his voice really low. "Just that he couldn't understand why Dumbledore trusted him with secrets of the Order but not with this. Dumbledore seemed to have his reasons though."

"Hmm," Hermione pondered this as she transfigured her doll in to a parrot. She needed to talk to Snape or Dumbledore, and she needed to do it now.

SCENE

"Come in, Miss Granger," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as always as he offered her the seat directly across from him. "Lemon drop?" She grinned and took one from the dish, unwrapping the sticky treat and savoring the sweet taste in her mouth as it dissolved slowly. "Now, what is it I can do for you, so early in the new term? You're not trying to take any more classes already, I hope?"

Hermione laughed. "No, sir, nothing like that. I was just worried about something Harry and Ron told me. It's…it's a little embarrassing," she admitted.

He smiled slightly and nodded. "Go on."

"Well, they…you know about the 'extendable ears', the ones the Weasley twins invented, right?" Dumbledore nodded, eyes twinkling furiously as ever. "Well they were apparently using them at some point over the summer and heard part of a conversation between you and Professor Snape."

Dumbledore looked mildly interested. "Is that so?" he pondered. "And what exactly was our conversation regarding?"

"Well, from what I could gather, me." Here Dumbledore began to look slightly worried. Hermione hastily backtracked. "I mean, they didn't hear enough to know you were talking about me. But based on what they told me they heard…"

"What did they hear?"

"Something about a pensieve," Hermione explained. "About Professor Snape using one. They said you said something about 'if he finds out she's with you,' or something like that, 'we're all in trouble.' They," she faltered, "they thought you were talking about Snape having a girlfriend. They thought it was funny, which is why they told me." She looked somewhat embarrassed about her friends.

Dumbledore smiled slightly, a far off look in his eyes. "It doesn't sound as if any lasting harm has been done," he acknowledged. "Let them believe as they will. Thank you for informing, however. I shall have to be certain to be more guarded about secret conversations in the future," he mused.

"Sir, can I ask you something?"

"You may."

"They said that Professor Snape was annoyed that you trusted him with 'secrets of the Order, but not this.' Can I ask why that is?"

Dumbledore considered her for a moment. When he answered, he chose his words carefully.

"Miss Granger," he began, "Professor Snape is a man of secrets, of spying. He is good at what he does. His mind is well trained to shuffle away any thoughts of me or of the Order. I began to fear, however, that after you were there too long, he might begin to think more of you. I must admit, I was surprised at how close you seemed to become. It may not have seemed anything special to you, but I can assure you, it is the closest Professor Snape has allowed any person to be to him in many, many years, and I feared he was not ready to properly shield those thoughts. I had assumed he would continue his summer mostly in solitude, speaking to you when necessary and no more. And that seemed to best environment to keep you safe, unfortunate as that may have been. As I started to realize how your relationship was progressing, I began to fear that thoughts of you would find their way to the front of his mind, easily read by Voldemort, as they were by me."

Hermione was silent.

"That is all I will say. The rest is Professor Snape's business. Perhaps one day you will have the chance to discuss is confidentially with him. Until then, however, I do hope your curiosity is satisfied."

"Yes, thank you, sir," Hermione rose from her chair, knowing she was excused without Dumbledore having to speak the words.

As she continued down the hallway, confusing thoughts chased themselves through her mind. She continued on to the library, where she told Harry and Ron she would be. Why her? Why would Snape let himself get closer to her than all the teachers or anyone else in the Order? She didn't understand. She tried to drown her confusion in books and studying, but the question just kept coming back to the front of her mind. She groaned as she remembered that she had double potions first thing tomorrow morning. Maybe she was the one that needed to learn Occlumency.

**A/N: Sorry it's shorter than the others, but that seemed a good place to cut off. I swear, this isn't going to be a romance. Promise! Just a sort of sappy friendship-ness kind of thing. **

**Review…cuz you love me. :P**

**Cheers!**

**Lexi**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Yo yo yo. So I know I promised this won't be a romance, and I stick to that promise. Just a heads up though: the main focus of the remainder of this story will be centered around a soon-to-be-introduced plot element that is much darker and p'raps a little disturbing to some of you. Not sure. I'm not changing the rating though, it's not that bad. But it will be a tad different, just to let you know. **

**Disclaimer: It's all JK's…zut alors.**

Chapter 12

Hermione and Harry trekked wearily down to the dungeons for double potions the following morning after breakfast. Hermione was not looking forward to this lesson, partly due to the fact that she would have to deal with Malfoy and his cronies for the entire hour and a half, partly due to the fact that she was not yet awake enough to perfect her acting skills and make her seeming hatred of Snape convincing.

They were the first two to reach the room. Harry, already feeling Snape would hate him even _more_, since he hadn't even achieved two Os on his potions O.W.L.s, had desperately wanted to arrive on time. Subsequently, they even beat Snape to his own classroom.

They took seats a couple rows back from the front of the room and on the far side from Snape's desk. Hermione noted with curiosity who from their year had chosen to continue on with potions. There were so few students that they were all just combined in to one sixth year potions N.E.W.T. class. Terry Boot and Padma Patil from Ravenclaw entered and sat down together; from Hufflepuff were Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, and Ernie McMillan; Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, and Blaise Zabini from Slytherin; and from Gryffindor, only herself, Harry, and Dean Thomas. A couple last minute stragglers, Ravenclaws Michael Corner and Anthony Goldstein, of whom Hermione was not overly fond, finished off the roster. Snape entered the class at the last minute, class list in hand, peering menacingly at the faces before him.

Seemingly satisfied with the group of people, he began the speech that Hermione was getting sick of; the 'this is N.E.W.T. work now so get it together' speech that every teacher had given thus far.

"Welcome," Snape began in a quiet but commanding voice, 'to newt potions. From this point forward, you are finished exploding cauldrons. There will be no more daydreaming and misreading of instructions. One wrong move in here could get you removed for the rest of term. Another wrong move could land you in the infirmary for three weeks- if you are not already dead when you arrive."

He paused to give an ominous glare to all the students. "We shall be dealing with potions that are more dangerous than you could possibly imagine. There will be no more simple second year concoctions; you should be able to do such things in your sleep. To be accepted in to this class comes with great responsibility. When you enter your final year of Hogwarts, I expect five of you will not continue with this class; another three will be asked to leave. But we shall see; perhaps the fourteen of you will prove to be less of dunderheads than I believe you to be."

He shot a look that was primarily aimed at Harry that clearly said, 'but I doubt it.'

"Very well then. Everyone gather your things and stand up. I will be rearranging your seats as I see fit. Sitting how you choose will only encourage goofing off and that is _not_ an option for this class."

He perused the roster and pointed with his wand to each set of two desks as he called off names.

"Goldstein and Parkinson here. Finch-Fletchley and Patil here. Potter and Boot, here."

He continued with the next set of work stations.

"Corner and Abbott over there. McMillan and Zabini next to them. Bones and Thomas on the other side." He paused again, glancing around the room. "Which leaves…Granger and Malfoy, in the back," he stated delicately. Hermione was floored. First of all, she expected Snape, if he was feeling vindictive as ever, to place _Harry_ with Malfoy. Second…well, there wasn't really a second, but she couldn't understand why he put her with Malfoy. She stood in place for several seconds.

"Miss Granger? We haven't got all day now," Snape said in a mocking tone. Hermione blushed furiously as the Slytherins sniggered. She squared her shoulders and, with a grimace, took her seat beside Malfoy. He didn't say anything, just glanced at her and rolled his eyes. It was that moment she realized how difficult this would be for her. She just was not used to Snape being Snapey again. But, she supposed, if he had put her with someone she liked, it could begin to look odd that he hadn't at least tortured _one_ Gryffindor. And Malfoy wasn't bad at potions; _if _he could keep his bloody mouth shut.

SCENESCENESCENE SCENESCENESCENE

Hermione was pleasantly surprised as the lesson drew to a close. Malfoy hadn't really spoken beyond what was necessary and, instead, focused intently on the front of the classroom. Snape warned them that the entire first three classes would strictly be a revision of technique and theory. They would not begin brewing until he was positive their minds hadn't completely rusted over from the summer vacation. Again, he shot a look at Harry who ignored him and continued copying notes. Hermione was proud of Harry who seemed to have realized that he would have to start ignoring Snape's jibes if he were to do well in class and not be kicked out after a month.

School fell in to its usual paces for Hermione. Lots of studying time outside of class, but she made sure to make time to hang out with Ron and Harry. The third week of school, Katie Bell approached Harry and Ron about quidditch practice and tryouts for the team. And so, Hermione spent a lot of her time reading and studying outdoors watching the Gryffindor team practice or just watching Harry and Ron fly around and toss the quaffle back and forth.

Before she knew it, two months of school had passed and it was Halloween time. She smiled fondly and she reminisced about five years prior with Harry and Ron, when the three of them faced the troll in the girl's bathroom. That was the night the three of them really forged their friendship and Hermione learned to loosen up a little about rule-breaking.

It was the night of the Halloween feast. Dumbledore, in his ever-constant attempt at making the feasts a little livelier, declared this year to be a costumed feast, for all who wished to participate. Hermione smirked as she thought of little muggle children who dressed up for Halloween, often times as a witch or wizard. Hermione had done so herself, at the age of seven. The irony of the whole situation made her burst out laughing. Fortunately, she was the only one in the dorm room still and thus was spared looking like a stark-raving lunatic.

She gave herself a last glance-over in the mirror and was content with her appearance as a devil. She had chosen a deep red set of velvety robes and her head was adorned with a very muggle-esque pair of horns on a headband. She had magically attached a pointed tail to the back of the robes.

She hurriedly descended in to the common room where Harry and Ron were giving each other a last look. Harry was a leprechaun. Ron was a vampire. Also a rather common choice among muggle children, Hermione speculated silently. She didn't particularly want to explain the madness of trick-or-treat to the muggle-ignorant Ron Weasley.

"Lookin' nice boys, lookin' nice," Hermione teased them. They grinned goofily and the three headed down to the feast. Hermione had always loved the Halloween feast. She loved pumpkin juice and pumpkin pasties and everything with pumpkin. So this was a good time of year for her to eat her fill.

There was a gaggle of students hanging around in the entrance hall, investigating each other's costumes or waiting for friends to come down. They spotted Ginny who had charmed her hair black and was sporting a pair of cat ears as well as Neville who had what looked to be a huge clear elastic ball around himself.

"What exactly are you, Neville?" Ron asked.

"A remembrall," Neville grinned and indicated his red robes, signifying he had forgotten something. There was a general chuckle and they continued in to the Great Hall. They reached the doors when Hermione gave a start as a low voice spoke quietly in her ear.

"A costume, Granger, or your true personality come to light?"

She turned and came face-to-face with Malfoy. She saw no malice in his eyes, merely amusement. Rather than become defensive as Harry or Ron would have done, if they'd heard, she gave a small quirky smile and a noncommittal shrug of the shoulders and proceeded to the Gryffindor table. The entire hall was decked out in Halloween colors and decorations rather than the usual house colors and banners.

It was an enjoyable evening all the way around. There was lots of food, there were crackers, many of which, Hermione noticed, seemed to come from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, the ghosts provided some entertainment throughout the evening as was tradition (everyone always enjoyed the recount of how Nearly Headless Nick nearly lost his head, with the Bloody Baron playing the role of the evil axe wielding villain and the Fat Friar narrating), and they were just sitting down to dessert when a scene, unnoticed by the students, took place at the head table.

Snape, who had not been present the whole evening, came through the door behind the head table. Stumbled, more appropriately. McGonagall, sitting to Dumbledore's right, stood up in surprise.

"Severus, you're hurt!" she exclaimed. While there were no obvious signs of injury, he was practically gasping for breath and seemed to have problems walking. He waved away her concern and leaned down to speak confidentially with Dumbledore.

"We have a problem," he told him in a hurried whisper. "I need to see you and the Granger girl in your office as soon as the feast is over." Dumbledore nodded his assent and Snape left. The feast continued as though nothing has occurred. Dumbledore smiled grimly, wondering what Severus had gotten himself in to now.

SCENESCENESCENESCENE

"A wonderful feast, I'm sure you'll all agree," Dumbledore declared warmly as people were finishing up dessert. "I ask the prefects and head students to take extra care while performing final patrol duties this evening, as the spirit of Halloween may encourage some students." His eyes twinkled.

"We'll meet you upstairs soon, mate," Ron said goodbye to Harry and, clutching his stomach, bemoaned his prefect duties for what must have been the hundredth time.

He and Hermione disappeared down different corridors, keeping an eye out for misbehavior and students escaping curfew. A voice suddenly called out from behind her.

"Miss Granger, how wonderful to see you performing your prefect duties diligently as ever," Dumbledore smiled. "However, I'm afraid I shall need to pull you away from your duties and speak with you in my office."

Mildly bewildered, but curious as ever, Hermione nodded and followed Dumbledore.

"May I ask what you needed to see me about?" she inquired.

"Just a…matter…that has come up," Dumbledore murmured evasively and Hermione understood. He couldn't talk in case there was a chance someone was listening in. She kept her mouth closed until they reached the stone gargoyle blocking Dumbledore's office. As they ascended the stone spiral staircase, Dumbledore told her.

"Professor Snape has requested both of our presence here. He did not say why but that it was urgent."

When he opened the door to his office, Snape was pacing it worriedly. It was barely closed before Snape launched in to a jumbled story of sorts, which Hermione could make no sense of.

"You were right, Albus, of course you were. I should have listened, my stupid pride got in the way and now I've created an impossible situation. I should have done what you said, you're always one step ahead, you know-…" Dumbledore cut him off.

"Slow down, dear boy, slow down. I can't make any sense of you. Explain what's happened."

Hermione had never seen Snape so confused and lost before. It frightened her.

"It's him. He _saw_," Snape emphasized.

"Saw what?" Dumbledore persisted, looking more worried with each passing moment.

"_Her!_"

Hermione stood bewildered as the two men stared at her.

Dumbledore stared hard at Snape. "You are telling us that Voldemort," Snape flinched ever so slightly, "saw Miss Granger in your mind?" Snape closed his eyes and nodded miserably.

"It was only a second, but it was enough. I had to make up a story to explain the image he saw. There was nothing else I could say," he said in what was almost a pleading tone. "It's bad, Albus."

"He knows now that you kept her over the summer?" Dumbledore asked. Snape shook his head. "What did he see, Severus?"

Hermione's mind raced through what memories he might have that would not be able to be explained from school. The food fight in his kitchen, her helping to heal his wounds, eating breakfast with her in a bathrobe…

"She had fainted. She was lying in my bed, I had just retrieved some calming draught and was preparing to wake her."

Hermione felt an unpleasant sensation working it's way through her body. How many explanations could one really make up for _that_? Not many.

Dumbledore's voice was calculating.

"So now, Voldemort believes…"

"That I've been summoning her to my rooms since the start of the school year to 'fulfill my wanton needs and desires as a death eater,'" Snape finished for him.

"And he became angry?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

"Not at my actions, but that I did so without his consent first," Snape spat, obviously disgusted by the entire thing. "I had to make it sound like revenge that she escaped last summer. Now he's positively _thrilled_ about the whole thing." Hermione was really starting to feel woozy.

"There's a catch, am I right?" she asked. Snape seemed to have forgotten she was there and turned in surprise to look at her. "I mean…I visit you a few times, you blackmail me to silence, Voldemort never knows the difference if it's actually happening. Right? What am I missing?"

"You're missing the part where the Dark Lord doesn't entirely trust me," Snape said. "I'm too valuable to get rid of, but too suspicious to fully trust."

"What does he want you to do?" Dumbledore questioned, looking puzzled himself.

Snape grimaced. "He said to make sure she's there Tuesday night. He wants to send someone- Malfoy, I expect- to see for himself and report back."

"But even if you fool him one night…" Hermione muttered faintly.

Snape nodded. "He'll continue, just to make sure."

There was an awkward silence around the room. Dumbledore was staring off in to space, Snape would shoot periodic, furtive glances at Hermione, and Hermione was sitting in stunned silence. Finally, she spoke up.

"What do I have to do?"

SCENESCENESCENESCENE

**A/N: Well there we have another chapter! Two in relatively quick succession. Yay for me. **

**So…not liking this new element to the plot? Corny? Brilliant? Gross (well yeah, but that's death eater mentality we're talking about here)?**

**PLEASE review…I'm a little nervous about how this chappie went over. **

**Cheers!**

**Lexi**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Okay, okay. I know I'm a horrible person. It's true. High school blows. And I've officially been working on this story for going on two years now. I just turned 18. Agh. I need to finish in three months though because I don't want this hanging over my head after book 7 comes out! So…**

**Disclaimer: Aren't we through with this yet? It's not mine. It's the lovely J.K.'s…sigh. Must be nice to be richer than the queen. **

**Chapter 13**

Hermione did her best to slip back in to the common room unnoticed. It was not meant to be, however, as she walked in and found the small group of remaining students in an uproar, gathered in a group. As she walked in, Ginny came running over to her.

"Oh, Hermione, thank goodness you're here!" she exclaimed.

"What on _earth_ is going on in here?" Hermione asked a little indignantly.

"Neville's got himself caught in his costume, in the remembrall bubble!"

And so Hermione spent the next several minutes helping Neville extract himself from the bubble he had magically formed around his robes. When she finally managed to escape and head upstairs, she collapsed in to her bed and drew the curtains shut. Lavender and Parvati had been in the group downstairs, so they were sure to head up and start their giggling shortly.

It was Sunday night. That meant she had all day Monday and Tuesday to prepare for her meeting with Malfoy. She had never seen Dumbledore and Snape look so worried in her life and that scared her more than anything, more than actually meeting Malfoy yet again.

Because of Halloween falling on a Sunday, classes had been canceled the next Monday. Snape was supposed to contact her sometime so she could come to his office and discuss how to convincingly play the part of…well, she wasn't sure exactly what one would call it…a death eater's whore? She shuddered at the thought. Fortunately, according to Snape, Malfoy had always been an awful legilimens. Thus, she had only to rely on her acting abilities and not her magical ones. Which was fortunate as well because Snape had told her outright that she would not be allowed to carry a wand on her person during the exchange.

Hermione screamed in to her pillow and had a restless night imagining all the possible ways this could go wrong. And there were a lot.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

After a couple hours of sleep fraught with nightmares, Hermione dragged herself out of bed, showered, and dressed. She examined her reflection in the mirror and sighed. Not all of the nightmares she suffered regarded her doomed future. Some concerned her disturbed past.

She quickly made her way to the common room. She found that Ron and Harry often became concerned about her well-being if she was not prompt for breakfast. She suspected they were really concerned about getting to the Great Hall before all the cinnamon rolls were gone, but it was amusing nonetheless.

Breakfast was a quiet affair. Many students had slept in following the previous night's festivities. Many of those who were present this early seemed too tired to properly carry on a conversation and, consequently, just kept their mouths shut.

Mail arrived as usual. The swoosh of owls flying overhead rustled Hermione's hair. Just as the last of them were passing, one dropped her usual _Daily Prophet_ in her bowl of cereal. Sighing as she shook it off, she caught Malfoy's eye as he peered at her over his own letter. She dismissed his gaze and opened her paper.

And nearly dropped it in shock. On the second page inside, a note was scrawled to her in Professor Snape's handwriting.

Come to my office at 8:30 sharp. Use the room of requirement to floo so you will not

be seen.

That was it. As soon as she read it, it molded back in to the words which had been originally on the page. She realized that the page had been charmed to be read by her and once only.

"Sheesh, Hermione," Ron muttered, peering over her shoulder, "self-watering plant pots aren't _that_ exciting!"

Hermione realized she had been staring where the letters had disappeared for several seconds. With a muttered reply about not being ridiculous, she closed her paper and finished her breakfast hurriedly.

"What's the rush?" Harry asked. "No classes, remember?"

"I know," Hermione replied, "I'm just feeling a little warm, I think I'm going to go outside and get a little fresh air."

"Cool, Ron and I were going to go practice a little flying, if you want to come and watch."

Hermione smiled warmly. "Thanks, but no thanks. I was just going to go walk around the lake and think for a bit."

As she stared in to the cold water of the lake, she shivered and imagined herself to be at the bottom of it. Not literally. But figuratively drowning in the cold and dark and fighting her way back to the top for some air.

"Granger! Merlin, didn't you hear me the first eight times?"

'And speaking of the lake, here comes the giant squid,' Hermione thought to herself.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Hermione asked tersely, peering about for his cronies, though none seemed to be visible. "Where are your evil henchmen?"

"A little defensive, aren't we?" Malfoy asked scornfully.

"Should I be?" Hermione challenged him and tightened her grip on her wand in her pocket.

Malfoy just looked at her quizzically but did not reply. He never got the chance before a long giant tentacle wrapped itself around Hermione's ankle. She shrieked before falling backwards in to the icy-cold water.

She never knew whether she had been pulled in to the water or whether it was her own surprise coupled with standing so close to the edge that caused her to fall backwards of her own accord. All she knew was that if it had not been for Draco Malfoy, she probably would have drowned at the bottom of that same cold dark lake in which she had imagined herself just minutes earlier.

"Granger!" Malfoy rushed to the water's edge and desperately tried to grasp a hand or hair or some bit of her robes with which to pull her back up. He reached nothing but could still see the violent rippling of the water below which she was fighting to regain the surface.

He made a split second decision. Kicking off his shoes and shrugging out of his outer robe, he jumped in to the icy water and instantly felt his muscles go rigid. Painfully forcing his legs to kick, he dove beneath the surface towards Granger. She was struggling as best she could with her ever decreasing air supply but she was panicking too much to realize her real problem- she had caught her legs in some outcropping of seaweeds and roots in the water.

Malfoy swam below her and, pulling out his wand, used it to sever the plants and pull her free. She tried to help drag herself back up but she was weakening. Malfoy took hold of her robe and dragged her to the surface and up out of the water, collapsing with her on the bank next to the water's edge. Malfoy spent several minutes regaining his breath while Hermione coughed next to him and attempted to clear her lungs of water.

Her coughing subsided for the most part and Hermione lay breathless on the grass. She was in shock and was starting to go numb from the cold water. Malfoy's situation beside her was little better. He pulled himself with some painful difficulty off the ground and reached for her arm.

"C-come on," he muttered, shivering, "you'll freeze to death and all of that will have been for nothing." He knew a warming charm but it was not meant for use on a human. He was too afraid of potential damaging side-effects to try and use it. Instead, he pulled his shoes back on, pulled Hermione off the ground, and wrapped his still-dry cloak around her shivering shoulders.

He started to walk back to the castle but his present foggy-minded state made the walk seem twice as long as it really was. A handful of students were lying around enjoying the day off and he grabbed the first one he saw, halfway back to the castle. Hermione was moving slowly and he feared she would not make it back indoors. He knew there was no way she'd make it on her own up to the infirmary.

"Run inside," he directed the terrified Ravenclaw second year, "and grab the first teacher you can find. It doesn't matter who. Go!" The young boy took off and Malfoy, shivering more violently than ever, helped Hermione back to the ground.

"Gimme your cloaks," he growled at the gaggle of four second years who had been with the other boy. They hastily obliged and he used one to cover himself and the rest for Granger.

It felt like hours that they sat out there, the second years trying to help and find out what happened, though it could only have been ten minutes at the most. Finally, the first boy whom Malfoy had sent for help returned.

"They're coming," he announced, breathless. Malfoy looked up to see McGonagall and Snape hurrying towards the bunch.

"What in Merlin's name has happened to you two?" McGonagall demanded, already using a charm to levitate Hermione's weak, but protesting figure on to a magically conjured stretcher.

"She f-fell in the l-lake," Malfoy muttered. "She got caught. I had to g-go in and get her."

"She's freezing," McGonagall stated, touching Hermione's bare skin on her face. Snape placed a hand on her forehead and looked at her eyes.

"Early stage hypothermia," he declared. "The cold water followed by the cold air and wind isn't giving her body any time to warm up, it's only getting colder." He reached out and felt Malfoy's head. "You too, but not as bad."

"She was in the w-water a lot longer than me," Malfoy acknowledged. Snape conjured several blankets and wrapped them around Malfoy. McGonagall did the same for Hermione. The four of them made their way as quickly as possible to the infirmary.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

Hermione felt like she was floating. It was summer time and she was lying in her parents' pool, watching the white clouds go by. She had never felt so warm and comfortable in all of her life.

"Miss Granger…Miss Granger…"

She shrugged off the voice as long as possible. Eventually it became too loud; she started and opened her eyes. Looking around her, she saw Madam Pomfrey and a worried Professor McGonagall.

"Goodness, my dear, you certainly gave everyone here a bit of a scare."

Hermione was lost for words as her mind tried, foggily, to remember the day's events.

"You really ought to be more careful around the lake, you know," Pomfrey reprimanded, "It's a good thing young Mister Malfoy was there to pull you out." And she checked Hermione's temperature, deemed it 'acceptable' and told her she was free to go when she felt fit.

"What time is it?" Hermione asked McGonagall.

"It's nearly dinner time. About 5:30. Are you alright, my dear?"

"Fine," Hermione muttered quietly, "where's Malfoy?"

"He only stayed for a couple of hours. Madam Pomfrey felt it would be best for you, however, if she gave you something to help you sleep which your body regained its normal temperature. Mister Malfoy was not as bad off as you, though, so he left as soon as he warmed up."

"He saved my life," Hermione murmured wistfully.

McGonagall smiled at her. "When you're ready, you can leave. I know Potter and Weasley have anxiously been awaiting news of your well-being since Professor Snape kicked them out of here."

Hermione started. "Professor Snape?"

"He came down with me to fetch you and Mister Malfoy from the grounds." She frowned. "Don't you remember any of that?"

"I-yeah, I guess I do. Sorry. It's all just feeling a little fuzzy right now."

McGonagall expressed her sympathies and said that, hopefully, everything would be a little clearer after she had something to eat and moved around a bit. She left the infirmary to report to Professor Dumbledore that Hermione was sufficiently recovered.

As she left, Hermione realized that she never found out why Malfoy had come down to the lake to talk to her in the first place.

SCENESCENE

**A/N: Well. There it is. First chapter in MONTHS. I know. I suck. Sorry. Best way to keep me writing quickly? REVIEW! Encouragement! Yeah! **

**Anyway. I DO plan to have this done by book seven. And school gets out semi-soon. So if we're lucky…**

**Cheers!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: So…what's up? I'm awful, I know. Oh my god, I totally was going to have this done by now! Agh! Well, one thing drives out another…sorry! (I did just do a new oneshot the other day though, go check it out)**

**Anyone seen the latest puppet pals video…the ticking noise one? It's awesome, I'd go look for it. **

**Disclaimer: It's all JKR's…yeah. Darn. **

**Chapter 14**

At 8:29, Hermione found herself nervously grasping a handful of floo powder in front of the fireplace in the Room of Requirement. She had come up with a convincing excuse to get rid of Harry and Ron, who were hovering over her since her stint in the infirmary. With a deep breath, she stepped in to the empty grate, threw the powder down, and yelled, "Snape's Office," trusting that would be clear enough for the fireplace to comprehend.

It was a short trip, unlike that from the Weasley's to Diagon Alley. She barely had time to feel queasy from the fast movement before she landed violently and stumbled forward. Coughing and dusting off her clothes, she regained her breath and looked up to see Snape sitting behind his desk with a blank expression on his face. She stood self-consciously and unsure of herself while he sized her up.

"Come with me." That was all he said before disappearing through a door on the other side of the desk. Hermione swallowed and, full of trepidation, followed Snape in to what appeared to be a type of sitting room. These were his private quarters. Hermione wondered why she was so nervous and this; it's not like she hadn't spent most of her summer living in his house. But somehow this- or perhaps Snape himself- felt different.

He motioned for her to sit down, doing the same himself. He eyed her carefully and said nothing, which only increased her state of nervousness. Finally, he did break the heavy silence.

"How are you feeling, Miss Granger?"

"Oh, I…fine," she finished lamely. "Better."

"Would you care to discuss what happened between you and Mr. Malfoy down at the lake this afternoon?" he asked in a dangerously casual voice which surprised Hermione.

"Nothing!" she exclaimed, not sure why she felt so indignant. There was something in Snape's voice though, that seemed to imply something, something unpleasant perhaps, about Malfoy. "He came and found me, but before he got the chance to say why, I fell in. That was all."

"You're sure you fell in?"

"What?" Hermione was floored at his implication. "Of course I fell. The giant squid had wrapped a tentacle around my ankle, I panicked, and fell backwards. You honestly think Malfoy would have had the gall to push me in, right in the middle of the grounds? Not to mention, he's the one who saved me life!"

"I never said that!" Snape replied sharply. But that doesn't mean someone else couldn't have orchestrated the incident to make it appear an accident. You are very aware of Lucius Malfoy's involvement with the Death Eaters, I daresay. It's possible that Malfoy wasn't supposed to be there. Or that he was instructed to let you drown, but couldn't because of the presence of other students in the area."

Hermione opened her mouth and then closed it again. She could not honestly say one way or the other if it had been possible that someone else had been responsible for what had happened. But she didn't think so. Instead, she shrugged and gave him a defeated look.

"Very well," Snape relented. "I will see what I can uncover about it. If it comes up in the Dark Lord's circles, chances are it was not a mere accident."

"What makes you think Malfoy wouldn't tell his father about it one way or the other?" Hermione asked, puzzled.

"Because if it was an honest accident, Lucius Malfoy would hardly be pleased if his son didn't let you drown. Draco would be aware that there would be repercussions for such an act and would, therefore, keep his mouth shut."

Hermione felt an unpleasant feeling rising in her throat. That hadn't even occurred to her. Was it possible that she was only alive right now because Malfoy wouldn't have been able to convincingly persuade the others that it had been an accident?

"As it is," Snape continued, businesslike as usual, "we have a lot of work to do. Our very lives may depend on it."

It was quite possibly two of the most awkward hours she had ever experienced in her life. Snape explained how she would need to be convincingly obedient and humble, to both himself and Malfoy.

"But what if he tries to…you know…" she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence, but Snape knew what she meant.

"He won't," Snape assured her. "It's a…property thing, and understanding, for lack of a better term. And if he does, I'm right here the whole time."

Feeling slightly comforted, but only slightly, Hermione took her leave of the dungeons, flooing back up to the Room of Requirement. It was time for prefect rounds, which gave her the chance to reflect a bit while wandering around the castle before having to return to the common room.

When she climbed through the portrait hole, she found Ron, just returned himself from rounds, sitting with Harry in their favorite armchairs by the fire, hastily finished some charms homework which Hermione had done three days ago.

"So how'd it go?" Harry murmured distractedly as he scribbled out a few words.

"What?" Hermione turned sharply and looked at him. He stopped and stared at her, puzzled.

"The tutoring you told us about…that you couldn't miss…?"

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed, "fine, it was fine. Sorry, I'm just a bit out of it tonight."

"Falling in to a freezing lake will do that to you," Ron acknowledged wisely. Harry smacked him in the arm.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

The next day, lessons went by painstakingly slowly. Potions was the worst. Neither Hermione nor Malfoy particularly seemed to want to look at each other the whole class and Snape kept sending glances in their general direction, probably, Hermione reflected, checking to see whether Malfoy was trying to poison her or anything.

"I really wish he'd stop doing that," Malfoy finally muttered under his breath.

"What?" Hermione asked in surprise.

"He keeps looking at us like we're doing something wrong, it's making me nervous." Hermione was floored. The idea that Malfoy was uncomfortable with Snape's attention struck her very bizarre. Instead, she agreed with him meekly.

"I know what you mean," she said in as pitiful a voice as could sound convincing. This was another part of Snape's plan. He figured the older Malfoy would delightedly tell his son about the arrangement between Snape and Hermione. Thus, Hermione would need to subtly and gradually change her attitude in Potions class. Appearing intimidated more easily, not answering questions and drawing attention to herself.

At her words, Malfoy threw a quick look her way but hastily turned back again, thinking.

_Well, _Hermione thought miserably, _the plan seems to be working. _Malfoy certainly seemed to have verified something in his mind. She was waiting for the taunts and evil hints, but they never came. She figured rumors would be going 'round soon enough, however, about her being Snape's whore. She could not even believe what she'd gotten herself in to. _Actually_, she reflected, _it's more Snape's and Dumbledore's faults than it is mine._

Lost in thought, she hadn't noticed Snape, doing his rounds around the room, come up behind the pair and observe her stirring the potion. He leaned in very close and whispered so just the two could hear him.

"You're a bit tense, Miss Granger," he said in his silkiest voice. He put his hand over hers and guided it. "Longer, sweeping stirs will work much better than short, rigid ones."

She nodded, saying, "yes, Professor," quietly, and Snape swept on to the next pair.

Malfoy was silent the rest of the period. Hermione thought grimly, _at least he'll have a lot to report back to dear old daddy_.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

Under Snape's instructions, Hermione waited until Harry and Ron had gone to bed and then, pretending she was going as well, she actually snuck out and went to the Room of Requirement, where she flooed to Snape's rooms again.

He was waiting for her. He quickly ushered her back to his sitting room and gave her a cup of tea.

"Are you sure you are prepared for this?" he asked.

She smiled faintly. "I suppose I kind of have to be, don't I?"

"Not necessarily," he interjected, more sharply than intended. "I could stall Malfoy a couple days if absolutely necessary." But Hermione just shook her head.

"Better now and get it over with," she shrugged but sounded rather nervous to Snape.

"Very well then," he acknowledged. "In that case, why don't you try and get some sleep?"

"I…what?" Hermione was confused.

"It will be very late before Malfoy makes his appearance, I would guess. There is little sense in you wearing yourself out trying to stay awake until ungodly hours of the night. Here," he handed her a folded garment, "take this and put it on." He motioned her through a door back to her right. "And get some rest. Don't leave that room unless I tell you to."

She did as instructed. The garment was a green (_no surprise there, _she though), silky nightgown. She looked herself over in the mirror. She supposed it wasn't _too_ bad. She climbed in to the large bed in what appeared to be a sort of spare or guest bedroom, and soon fell in to a deep sleep.

She was awakened by voices. It felt like no time had passed, but a quick glance at her watch told her it was nearly 3 a.m.

"…Of course didn't mean to wake you," came Malfoy's smooth, entirely unconvincing voice from out in the sitting room.

"I'm sure," came the wry reply. "Now, as much as I'd love to chat, I really am quite tired, so what exactly can I do for you, Lucius?"

Rather than answer, Malfoy began to peer around Snape's living quarters. Reaching the last door, he opened it ever so slightly. "Is she in here?" he asked slyly. Hermione heard no reply but Malfoy slowly pushed open the door and slinked in to the room, Snape close behind.

Hermione sat up in the bed, careful not to really look at Malfoy, as Snape had instructed. She was surprised to note, however, that Snape really did have the appearance of one just roused from a deep sleep. She was fairly certain, though, that Snape hadn't slept at all that night.

"Good evening, Miss Granger," Malfoy purred softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. "It's quite a _pleasure_ to see you again." He took a hand and cupped her face, gently caressing her cheek with his thumb.

"Good evening, Mr. Malfoy," she murmured quietly in return. Polite, but subservient, as guided by Snape's directions the previous evening. She tensed as he slowly moved his hand down her neck. She glanced quickly at Snape in a silent plea.

"Come now, Lucius, you've seen enough. May I return to my rest now?" he interrupted Malfoy as he began running a hand down Hermione's arm. Much to her relief, he relented and stood.

"I'm impressed, Severus," he said coolly. "Didn't think you had it in you anymore," at his words, Hermione started. "I look forward to my next visit." After these last words, he turned and looked smugly at Hermione. "Yes, indeed."

Snape followed him back to the floo. When he was satisfied Malfoy was gone and not coming back, he returned to Hermione's room.

"You should stay here for the remainder of the night," he said in a dull voice. "You can't wander the castle this late without raising suspicions. Students are allowed in the hallways at six, you may leave anytime after that." Hermione nodded, she couldn't bring herself to speak.

He gently closed the door, leaving Hermione much wider awake than she had been since arriving, deep in thought and more than a little unnerved.

**A/N: Well yeah. Sorry again. But hey…ONE WEEK UNTIL THE LAST BOOK! **

**AGH! It's so crazy. I read the first book almost 8 years ago, at the age of 10. It's been quite the adventure. I can't believe it's coming to a close. **

**So maybe I won't be done before book 7. But if you're still interested, I hope to finish this EVENTUALLY. Sorry. ******** I really wanted to get it done before now. **

**Anyway, thanks to my faithful readers, even after all these months. **

**Cheers!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: So yeah. I'm so excited for book 7…agh! **

**Disclaimer: It's all the lovely JK Rowling's…lucky devil. **

**Chapter 15**

Hermione dressed silently and slipped out of the bedroom in which she spent a few remaining hours of fitful sleep. It should be easy enough for her to floo back to the room of requirement, which was only a short way from the Gryffindor common room, and get back inside before anyone really noticed she hadn't been there all night. Harry and Ron probably wouldn't stir until the last possible moment when they had to rush out of bed in order to make it to breakfast before classes started.

Hermione was not surprised to see Snape, clutching a cup of tea with a book open in his lap, sitting in the small sitting room. He didn't seem to be reading though; rather, he was staring intently in to the fire, seemingly lost in thought. Hermione wondered whether he had slept at all the whole night.

She padded her way softly to the door which led to his office. It was that floo which could be used for transportation within Hogwarts itself. She had just reached the door when Snape's called to her, never turning around.

"Miss Granger?"

"Sir?" she answered quietly.

"Lucius expects to come back some time next week," he said, and she thought she detected a trace of weariness in his voice. "I will call for you."

"Yes, sir," she replied. And she was gone.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

She wasn't sure why it had been so shocking an idea, that Snape would have engaged in similar activities in his past. But this was fake, an act put on to fool Voldemort and his death eaters. She often forgot that, at one point, Snape had truly been a death eater, before he turned spy and began to work for Dumbledore instead.

These thoughts had distracted her during her morning classes. During charms, Hermione had forgotten what spell they were practicing, and ended up turning her mouse pink instead of making it tap dance. Harry and Ron had exchanged slightly worried glances at her lack of usual attentiveness, but this look had gone unnoticed by Hermione.

Now it was lunch time. Hermione poked at her potatoes and listened to Ron, Harry, and Seamus discuss quidditch possibilities for the year. With Alicia and Angelina gone, Harry had been made captain, but they were now short two chasers. The two beaters who had replaced Fred and George the year before were also being considered for removal from the team, but, as Harry grudgingly agreed, only tryouts would determine if their places would remain. Ginny was listening in with interest; it was she, after all, who had taken Harry's place as seeker the year before when Harry had been banned by Umbridge.

Gazing around the room in boredom, Hermione's eyes fell on the Slytherin table. One end of the table seemed almost wholly comprised of children of death eaters; Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, Parkinson. Most of them were deep in conversation. Malfoy, however, was gazing right back at Hermione. As soon as she realized this, she hastily averted her eyes back to her own plate.

Lunch was over shortly. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had Transfiguration, and then Hermione had Ancient Runes, and then it was break. Undoubtedly, Harry and Ron would venture out to the quidditch pitch, and, equally undoubtedly, Hermione would go to the library.

When they reached Professor McGonagall's classroom, Hermione reached down to pull her book out of her bag when she noticed a folded piece of parchment that she was sure hadn't been there during Charms. She opened it as surreptitiously as possible.

My dear Miss Granger,

Might I bother you to have tea with me in my office during your break this afternoon?

p.s. Blood pops are really an amazing treat, you should try them sometime.

Professor Dumbledore

Hermione grinned slightly at Dumbledore's offhanded way of giving her the password to his office, which Harry had told her was always some kind of treat or another. She folded the note carefully and replaced it in her bag beneath her Runes book.

And so it was that after her Ancient Runes class, Hermione made her way to the stone gargoyle which guarded the stairway up to Dumbledore's office. Giving the password, it leapt aside and she stepped on to the revolving stairway which deposited her outside his office door. She knocked and the door opened of its own accord. She was again not surprised to see Snape, sitting in one of the armchairs in front of Dumbledore's desk. Dumbledore was, of course, sitting behind the desk with the familiar twinkle in his eye and a pleasant look on his face.

"Ah, Miss Granger, do have a seat, help yourself to a biscuit," Dumbledore offered her a plate of ginger cookies and she took one gladly. She really hadn't eaten much at lunch.

"Now," he continued, "first of all, how did it go last night?"

Hermione was startled by this question. It came so casually from Dumbledore, but she sensed a bit of underlying worry in his voice.

"I…it was fine," she shrugged uncomfortably. "It was what it was." Dumbledore nodded and continued.

"Well, I hate to add one more thing on to your already full plate but Professor Snape and I wanted to ask your help in something." Hermione eyed him somewhat suspiciously. She would have bet everything she owned that Snape would never admit asking help of anyone. She was not disappointed, however, when Snape snorted quietly and huffed a little.

Dumbledore smiled serenely. "Very well, I wanted to ask your help on Professor Snape's behalf," he chuckled a bit. "He tells me you helped him with the potion he is trying to develop for the Order?" He became suddenly more businesslike, more intense, and Hermione understood that this was a very serious conversation they were about to have.

"Well, a bit," she shrugged again. "I had experience with the time-turner and it helped achieve the final product, I suppose you could say."

Dumbledore looked satisfied. "Yes," he murmured, "you see, we are very close, very close indeed, to finding a potion to counteract the Avada Kedavra curse. We have found ingredients to counteract almost every ingredient found in the original potion. However, Professor Snape has hit a similar barrier with this one. We have begun to wonder whether this will require different ingredients be sent back different amounts of time before it will all work together, if you understand me?"

"I think so," Hermione said slowly. "But you said you haven't quite got the mixture right yet?"

"No," Snape acknowledged, speaking for the first time since she entered the room, "the smaller reactants have been nullified. There is a core material, however, which has proved…resistant…to all attempts to block it. I have been working on this since the summer."

"And now," Dumbledore continued where he left off, "we are close enough to begin considering the final step to creating the proper potion. And I wondered if you, having performed extensive research in the matter, might be interested in helping out in that regard, seeing as you will be spending some time with Professor Snape here anyway." She swore she saw his eye twinkling again.

She smiled faintly. "I'd be delighted," she answered, "Anything I can do to help."

"Excellent!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "Severus," he turned to him, "I believe we have found you a lab partner."

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

Hermione found it slightly less awkward the next week, going down to the dungeons. She supposed this was because it was more like going to class, since she was to help working on a potion with Professor Snape.

She found the work to be very satisfying. She enjoyed the thought that she was working on something that could potentially save dozens of lives, not to mention facilitate the downfall of Voldemort and his death eaters. Even if they got it to work, however, they wouldn't be able to make it public, at least not until the end of the conflict with Voldemort. This bothered Hermione, seeing how useful it would potentially be to all wizards and witches, but she understood the element of surprise that would hopefully be the winning advantage for the Order of the Phoenix. As she thought about that, her mind drifted back to a place she tried not to remember- the Department of Mysteries.

What if Sirius had been able to take a potion like this before jumping to the rescue of Harry and his friends? Bellatrix wouldn't have been able to kill him, Harry would still have a godfather. She was actually kind of glad that she had been unconscious when it had happened. She shuddered at the thought of what Harry went through, seeing Sirius fall through the veil. Only Harry and Neville had made it beyond the brain room to see the rest of the fight. Two who had already seen death and were forced to witness more…

Hermione was surprised to find tears running down her cheeks as she thought of Sirius. She had tried at first to be strong for Harry and refused to let herself break down. But in truth, she greatly mourned the death of the man who had changed their lives so much in just two short years.

As she pretended to still be pouring over her notes, a small sob escaped her lips. She kept her head down, trying to hide her tears, as Snape turned around on the other side of the room.

"Miss Granger?" She didn't answer, knowing that if she opened her mouth again, she would likely break in to a whole bout of sobs. She tensed, though, as he walked over to her. He sat down in the chair next to hers. "Look at me," he said quietly. When she still did not comply, he gently tilted her chin in his direction. "What's wrong?" he asked softly.

"Nothing," Hermione's voice broke a little, but she was mastering her emotions.

"You're lying," Snape sounded bemused more than angry, but he continued to look intently in to her eyes.

Hermione knew that, while she had come to see Snape in a different light after spending so much time with him over the summer, his changes in attitude did not extend as far as feeling sympathy for Sirius Black. So, rather than explain, she just shook her head. As he looked at her, however, she began to see brief images of Sirius and the Department of Mysteries pass before her eyes. She realized he was using legilimency to find out what was troubling her, and she didn't like it one bit.

"Stop it, please," she asked tersely and tried to look away. When he wouldn't let go, she cried, "Stop!" a bit louder. And he did. He looked up at her and for a moment, she thought he was angry with her.

"How did you do that?" he asked curiously.

"Do what?" she didn't understand, and was still rather annoyed with him.

"What Potter never could accomplish," Snape gazed at her oddly. "You constructed a wall around your thoughts, preventing me from probing any deeper than I'd already gone."

Hermione didn't know what to say, so she settled on nothing. Snape seemed to be considering something.

"Perhaps you should learn Occlumency," he finally stated. She started. That was not what she'd been expecting. "After all, there are plenty of things in your mind which you don't want vulnerable to others."

Hermione was skeptical. She did not like the idea of Snape attempting to break in to her memories and pulling out her deepest secrets.

"Do you really think that's necessary, sir?" she asked. "I mean, you said Malfoy was bad at legilimency."

"_Malfoy_ is bad at it," Snape agreed, "but that doesn't mean there aren't others who are quite good."

Hermione pondered this. Before she agreed though, another thought crossed her mind.

"Sir, can I ask you something? It's been bothering me for months now…why _did _you stop giving Harry legilimency lessons when you did? It never made much sense."

Hermione sucked in a breath. If looks could kill, she was sure she'd be six feet under after the look she'd just received from Professor Snape.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

**A/N: Wow yay! ****Two chapters in relatively quick succession. So I CAN do it. Haha. **

**Anyway…thoughts? Review, cuz you love me! ******

**Cheers!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: So…how did we all like the Harry Potter finale? I was satisfied…good ending. Just kind of sad because of some of those who died…not to mention any names… ;)**

**Disclaimer: Not mine…recognizable material is JKs…richer than the queen of England…that's the one. **

**Chapter 16**

Hermione and Snape sat in silence for several long seconds. Finally, and with obvious effort, Snape spoke again.

"What did Potter tell you?" he asked her tersely.

"I," she started in confusion, "I mean, nothing really. He just said that you thought he'd learned enough to learn the rest on his own, or something. That he'd mastered the basics. But I always thought he wasn't telling me the rest of the story. And I know he never mastered anything about Occlumency," she finished bemusedly.

"No," Snape agreed, "no he didn't." He had an unreadable expression on his face. "Potter really never told you?"

"No," Hermione answered, now thoroughly confused.

"Perhaps I give him too little credit," Snape replied, somewhat snidely. "Potter," he explained, "took it upon himself to look into a pensieve of memories which I left in my office unattended; memories which I removed from my mind with the precise purpose of keeping them from Potter. I threw him out of my office and that was that."

Hermione mulled that over in her mind, not really surprised, but trying to add something up. She spoke up again hesitantly, afraid she was soon to be pushing her luck.

"Sir? Did the memory he see have something to do with his father and his friends?"

Snape shot her a calculating look. "It did," he acknowledged briefly. "Why?"

"Well," she began, "he was never quite the same after that. I could never figure out why and he wouldn't talk about it. Well, at least not with me," she concluded in realization. "So _that's_ why he was so anxious to talk to Sirius."

"What do you mean?" Snape asked, confused.

"Fred and George, the day they turned the corridor into a swamp and flew out…it was a diversion for Harry, so he could use Umbridge's floo. I guess he talked to Sirius and Remus, he never really told us what they said though." While she normally wouldn't have ratted out Harry's wrongdoings of the past, least of all to Snape, somehow it seemed not to matter since it was about Umbridge.

Snape held up a hand. "Please, do not remind me of the Weasley twins, I've only just rid myself of the seven-year headache they caused."

Hermione smiled but then added seriously, "I don't know what Harry saw in that pensieve, and I don't want to know. But I do know he regretted it and felt sorry later."

Snape considered her for a moment and nodded. "In any case, the offer, and recommendation, stands; would you like to attempt to learn Occlumency, Miss Granger?"

"I…" she paused. "Yes. I suppose I would."

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

Now having Occlumency lessons, as well as helping Professor Snape with the potion, Hermione found herself venturing in to the dungeons twice most weeks. Some nights she slept there, when they suspected Malfoy would be coming. On others, she flooed back to the Room of Requirement and slipped back to the Gryffindor common room, which wasn't that hard, given her prefect status.

On this particular evening at the beginning of December, Hermione came whooshing in to the fireplace in Snape's office with the intent of working on the anti-Avada Kedavra potion. She had excused herself from the common room under the guise of prefect rounds, followed by a late-night tutoring session with some poor, imaginary second-year Hufflepuff who couldn't meet any earlier due to a detention because of his poor grades in Transfiguration. Harry and Ron had been at Quidditch practice earlier that evening, so she knew they wouldn't have the energy to wait up too long for her.

"Your progress in Occlumency has been impressive," Snape murmured as they stood over their respective cauldrons and poured over pages and pages of notes and textbooks. "But the real test is being able to block your mind at a split second with no warning, as the Dark Lord would be sure to invade it."

Hermione chuckled quietly and turned to him. "Well I'll be sure to ask him for some more time if he ever-,"

"Legilimens!" Snape cried, and Hermione had just a moment to reflect on how stupid she was to not see that coming, before images and memories flitted past her eyes. She struggled to push him out, build a wall around her mind, but the deeper in he got, the harder she found it to drive him out. As she fought the spell, she felt her mind settle on a memory, the one memory she had tried so hard to keep from him, the memory that no one knew about.

_She was sitting in a school desk. But this was a muggle school, and Hermione was eleven years old. The desks around her were empty, except for one, which was occupied by a boy who looked to be fourteen or so. At the front of the room stood a strict-looking man who was looking at a watch. Seemingly satisfied with what it said, he looked up. _

"_Detention is over. You two may go." _

Hermione had tears in her eyes as she fought to force him out. The longer the scene played out though, she knew it was becoming hopeless.

_Hermione and the older boy stood up and trooped out of the classroom. _The scene shifted. _Now they were walking down a sidewalk leading out the back door of the school, backpacks slung over shoulders. _

"_So, what were you in for, Granger?" the older boy asked in amusement. _

_The young Hermione sighed. "Basically," she answered in that oh-so-familiar know-it-all voice, "I'm convinced that the teachers are engaged in a vast conspiracy against me." But a look at her face showed she was joking with him and he smiled. _

"_Come on now, seriously," he prompted again._

_She shrugged. "Bobby Johnson was making fun of me at lunch and a big glob of mashed potatoes landed on his head, which of course caused total chaos and a food fight. I don't know who started it, but it wasn't me! No one believed me though, everyone told them that he was bothering me, so they figure I must of hit him with the potatoes." She perked up a little though. "I suppose it was worth it though, seeing the look on his face." She turned back to the older boy and smirked. "So what could the oh-so-great class clown of the century Jason Doyle have done to land himself in detention today?" _

By this point, Hermione had ceased trying to fight it, and just let the scene play out.

_The boy,( _apparently named Jason_) did not smile. Instead, he regarded her somewhat oddly. _

"_Why was he making fun of you?" he asked seriously. _

"_Oh," Hermione shrugged him off, "it happens all the time. People think I'm a bit strange, you know? They think it's weird that someone actually likes to learn and study. Besides, a lot of people make fun of my hair too, since it's so bushy." She grinned though. "But that's okay. I don't really care that much. It's almost the end of the school year anyway, and then there's summer, and my parents are taking me to Spain! Sucks that you won't be in school anymore with me next year though."_

_The pair had turned down an alley. "Well, this is me," Hermione indicated as they reached a fence into a sizable back yard. She turned to go, but the boy reached for her arm. _

"_Look, Hermione, I don't think you're weird or too smart or ugly or something," he said awkwardly, but sincerely. _

_She smiled at him. "I know," she replied. "Listen, if you want to come by for dinner some time this weekend, I'm sure Mum and Dad…"_

_He cut her off. "Really," he said earnestly, "I like you. I admire how smart you are. And…I think you're really pretty." She looked a little confused and went to turn back to her yard. The boy wouldn't let her go, though, and tightened his grip on her arm, pulling her back toward him. For the first time, Hermione started to struggle against him as he leaned down and kissed her. _

_The eleven-year-old girl didn't seem to know what to do. She was stunned, until she felt his hands release her arms and begin to move lower, fingering the buttons on her shirt. Regaining her senses, she did the first thing that came to mind; she smacked him. Hard. In the face. With a gasp and a snarl, he shoved her roughly away from him. It was more or less unintentional. He hadn't really meant to hurt her when he pushed her. But she fell against the gate of the fence where a loose wire was jutting out just enough to create a nasty gash which bled profusely. She fell to the ground, crying and clutching her bleeding wound. Jason left her lying there and ran the rest of the way down the alley to his own house. _

The scene shifted.

_Hermione was standing in a bathroom with a washcloth and soap, dabbing at the bloody gash on her abdomen. No one else was home, and she balled up the bloody shirt and threw it in the garbage. When she was satisfied that the wound had stopped bleeding, she gingerly put a clean shirt on over it, concealing it from everyone else. _

Hermione finally was able to focus on Snape, realizing that the chain of memories had stopped. There was a look in his eyes which she could not place; some mixture of pity, fury, and disgust. She couldn't bring herself to say anything and chose, instead, to stare at the floor.

"Did you never tell anyone?" Snape finally broke the uncomfortable silence. Hermione just shook her head. "So you never had it looked at, or cleaned properly, which caused it to scar as badly as it did," he surmised. She nodded almost imperceptibly. "What happened to the boy?" he asked.

She sighed. "I don't really know I guess," Hermione acknowledged. "There were only a few weeks left of school; we avoided each other like the plague, took different routes home from then on. After that…well, I got my Hogwarts letter in July that summer. He moved up to an upper level school so he never knew what happened to me I assume. As far as I know, his family still lives in the same house, but Jason will have finished school by now."

Snape studied her, his brow creased. "You really should have told someone," he told her quietly. Hermione looked at him quizzically.

"You really think so?"

"You were eleven! Of course you should have told someone if some older boy tried to…"

"Sure I was only eleven," Hermione cut him off. "But he was only fourteen. He didn't really understand either. He'd been watching his older siblings act like that for years. I honestly think that was his twisted idea of sympathy for what had happened to me. And he never did mean to hurt me; that was completely by accident. If I'd told my parents about that, they'd have wanted to know how it happened. And Jason and I grew up together. I never could have done that to him. So sure, it hurt what he did, what he tried to do. But I stand by my decision I made almost six years ago to keep it between the two of us."

Snape regarded her contemplatively. "That was a very mature decision for someone as young as you were," he said somewhat suspiciously.

She shook her head. "Of course," she said, voice breaking slightly, "I hadn't worked a lot of that out for years. At the time, all I knew was that I was scared he _would_ hurt me again, and I was ashamed of what had happened." She paused and looked at him. "You know, I hadn't even thought about it in years, until what happened at your house over the summer. That's when I really started working out a lot of those mental issues I'd carried around with me since then. Before that, all my energy had always gone in to hiding it or pretending it never happened."

As he studied her face, Snape sensed she was still, despite her words, trying to keep from crying.

"You know," he told her quietly, "I have something I could put on it for the scarring. It might not eliminate it completely, since it's so old. But it would help immensely."

"I…thank you," Hermione accepted the offer. "That would be nice."

In a scene strangely familiar to that night over the summer when Snape saved Hermione from the Death Eater at her house, she lay down on the bed in the spare room, shirt rolled up just enough so he could see the scar. Muttering a few incantations, he gently massaged the potion on to the slightly raised line of scarred skin. Pulling the shirt back down, he stood to leave her to sleep. He was almost at the door when her voice stopped him.

"Wait," she called softly, almost timidly. "Will you…I mean…can you stay with me tonight? Just tonight. Please?"

Snape looked at her scared and upset face. "Of course," he told her gently, and returned to the bed, settling down beside her, murmuring quiet words of comfort.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

**A/N: Well, there t'is. We have officially entered the realm of TOTAL Snape OOC. But I found it acceptable, given the circumstance. And I SWEAR this isn't a romance, kay? **

**Like it? I know some of you have been wondering about the scar for several chapters now. **

**Lemme know!**

**Cheers!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I leave for school on Friday…I'm horribly excited…first semester of college, it's bound to be an adventure!**

**Disclaimer: Naught belongs to me. sigh**

**Chapter 17**

"Where were you last night, Hermione?"

Hermione almost choked on a piece of toast that she was eating on the way down to the dungeons for yet another double potions class with the Slytherins.

"What?"

Ron gave her a befuddled look. "Well, we were up kinda late and couldn't sleep, so when we came down to the common room, we sent Ginny up to your room to see if you were asleep or if you wanted us to sneak you anything from the kitchens. She came down and said you weren't there. This was almost one o'clock, mind you."

"Oh, I, uh…" Hermione thought very fast on her feet, "I wasn't feeling very well after dinner. I started feeling really badly after I went to bed, so I went to get something for it from Madam Pomfrey. I was gone a while because I decided to stop in the prefect's bathroom and take a relaxing bath." She shrugged apologetically. "Sorry if I worried you guys." There was a scuffle of noise from behind them. They whipped around and saw Draco Malfoy, who had stumbled, coming down the stairs. Hermione suddenly wondered how long he had been behind them and how much he had heard. He flashed her a queer look that rather disconcerted her, but it was gone almost as soon as it had appeared.

Ron and Harry pulled her back around and kept walking, quite intent on ignoring Malfoy completely. They lined up with the rest outside the potions classroom and Harry and Ron immediately began talking to Dean, Seamus, and Neville about something trivial and unimportant. Hermione let her mind wander until the bell signaling five minutes before class rang and they filed in and took their seats. Just before she reached the door, however, a hand pulled her back and shoved her against a wall. She struggled momentarily to find her wand but Draco Malfoy's hands closed tightly around her upper arms, preventing further movement. Hermione looked around and, to her dismay, found that they were the last two left out in the hallway.

"Alright, Granger, let's stop kidding around, shall we? I know for a fact that you were no where near the hospital wing last night because I _was_ there and I woke up every time that blasted nurse came out squawking about a patient or someone else who came in sick or whatever. So unless you polyjuiced in to Terry Boot, Michael Corner, Hannah Abbot, or Katie Bell, you never entered that room between the hours of nine and six. So I'm guessing you never were in the prefect's bathroom either. But that just raises the question: just where were you that you feel you can't tell the beloved Potter and Weasley?"

Hermione was at a total loss for words. Malfoy knew. He had to know. Surely his father had told him. But why the interrogation? Was he just trying to get her to say it? Was it some sort of test to see whether she had been thoroughly threatened to silence by Snape? Thankfully, she was spared the need to answer as she saw Snape making his way up the hallway, questioning look on his face.

"I'd advise you to let go of me, Draco," Hermione said quietly.

"Look, Granger, I just…" He was cut off by a low, silky voice.

"Do we have a problem here?" Snape asked, dangerously. Malfoy let go of Hermione instantly.

"No, sir," Malfoy said quickly, and, without looking back at Snape, he turned heel and walked in to the classroom.

Hermione opened her mouth to explain what had happened, but Snape silenced her with a hand.

"Not now, not here," he said quietly. Then, raising his voice, he added, "Well come on, Miss Granger, we don't have all day."

Walking sheepishly in to the classroom as the bell rang for the start of class, she just shook her head at Harry and Ron's questioning looks. She took her seat quickly next to Malfoy, who didn't look at her for the rest of the class.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

"This is getting ridiculous," Hermione sighed in exasperation, notes and charts spread across the workbench in front of her. "We've been trying to find this one substance for weeks, we're so close!"

It was January, start of the new term. It had been nearly a month since the incident with Malfoy outside the potions classroom.

Snape gazed down at the mess of papers in front of them. One element of the potion yet to be sufficiently neutralized. One step left to finding a counter-potion against the Avada Kedavra spell.

"Let's go over what we know," Hermione stated matter-of-factly.

"We've been over this a thousand times," Snape groaned, closing his eyes and crossing his hands behind his head. Hermione continued as though she hadn't heard him.

"There is one substance left, a deadly poisonous substance, for which we can find no cure. There is no element in an ordinary wand which will counteract this poison. Thus, logic suggests that we are searching for something too rare or too expensive to be used in regular wand-making."

"Or something that doesn't exist at all," Snape muttered behind her.

"Don't be so pessimistic!" Hermione exclaimed. "We're so close. Surely it exists- perhaps no one has discovered it yet, but I'm sure it exists!"

"You are remarkably reassuring," Snape told her wryly.

Hermione thought for several long moments, flipping through a book of thousands of rare plants. Finally, she slumped down in defeat. "Oh, what's the use? This could take _years_ to try everything that's too expensive or too rare in the potion, not to mention how much it would cost to keep making the potion with all these new ingredients."

She found she had tears of frustration in her eyes, which she wiped away angrily.

"Well, I'm getting ready for bed," Snape announced. "We can continue this later." He began bustling around, picking up papers and arranging them in an orderly fashion.

Something had occurred to Hermione but she couldn't quite wrap her mind around the idea. It was like something out of the past, a thought trying to work its way back to the front of her mind. She looked down at the parchment of notes, now spattered by her tears, over to the cauldron of deadly potion, and back again. And then it clicked.

"Professor," she said quietly, barely daring to dream she had recognized the solution. He didn't hear it and almost made it out the door. "Professor!" He stopped, turned, and looked at her in confusion. "I've got it. The answer. Phoenix tears."

Snape just stood there for several seconds, mind working ninety miles an hour in fast contemplation.

"Just think about it!" Hermione went on in wonder. "The phoenix doesn't exactly die when hit by the killing curse. It's the only thing that can heal certain wounds; Fawkes saved Harry after he was poisoned by the basilisk fang in our second year."

"And you can't make a phoenix cry," Snape continued. "So potion makers have always had trouble obtaining the ingredient. A phoenix will only produce tears when it senses the need for them to heal something. And, of course, as a liquid, it could never be used in wand manufacturing anyway."

"It's brilliant," Hermione whispered. "But if it's so hard to get hold of…?"

Snape was already rummaging through his shelves and drawers in which he stored bottles and boxes of potion ingredients. "I think…" he muttered as he searched. "I just might have something here…Aha!" he straightened with a triumphant cry, clutching a small crystal vial. "Albus gave this to me years ago, knowing how valuable the tears were."

Hermione watched him as he frantically searched for a book regarding phoenix tears. He seemed like a giddy schoolboy, and Hermione was very amused.

"It's so small though," she worried. "Only a dozen drops or so, I'd say. What if we can't get it right and run out?"

"Phoenix tears are among the most abundantly magical substances anywhere," Snape murmured as he read. "I have a feeling that one small drop will go a long way in a large cauldron."

"Can we try it?" she asked in anticipation. Snape looked a little worried though.

"There is so little information regarding the use of phoenix tears in potions," he pondered. "Perhaps we should wait and see what we can learn before just jumping in with no prior knowledge or experience in the matter."

"Professor," Hermione began calmly, "we are on the verge of making the biggest discovery of a lifetime- no, scratch that- the biggest discovery in history. We have a huge cauldron full of deadly potion that works like the killing curse. We have another huge cauldron full of a potion that _almost_ counteracts the killing potion. Don't you think, maybe just this once, we could be a little reckless and try just one, teensy little drop of phoenix tear to see if maybe we can complete that biggest discovery of a lifetime, potentially save the lives of several people we know, and put our own minds at rest so maybe I'll be able to get a little sleep tonight!" She was out of breath as she finished her tirade. Snape looked at her amusedly.

"Very well, Miss Granger, we will, as you put it, 'be a little reckless,' and see if your theory pans out." He raised his wand and transformed a pencil into a rat. "Take this." He thrust the squirming animal in to her hands.

Walking over the cauldron of anti-Avada Kedavra potion, he gingerly let fall one small droplet from the vial of phoenix tears. The potion began glowing and swirling and, as she watched it, Hermione could see it slowly changing from a purple-ish blue to a bright red. Once it settled, Snape reached for the rat and sat it down on the table. Hermione watched with bated breath as he took a tiny pipette, drew a small amount of the liquid, and forced it down the rat's throat. The rat seemed to momentarily give off a tiny glow but it soon was gone. Then Snape reached for the other cauldron.

Time stood still. It seemed to take an eternity for Snape to draw the liquid and force that too down the throat of the struggling rodent.

There was a flash of green light which seemed to surround the rat. But it almost seemed to be fighting against some kind of invisible barrier, never quite reaching the animal. Eventually the light subsided and the rat was left lying on the table, breathing heavily.

"We did it," Hermione whispered, shocked and amazed. Snape prodded at the rat.

"It won't survive long," he finally acknowledged. "It survived the brunt of the curse but the after effects will probably kill it within the next few hours." He looked over at Hermione's crestfallen face. "But do not despair!" he exclaimed. "That merely means we need to find the proper concentration of phoenix tears versus the rest of the potion."

Hermione was decidedly happier to hear that news. "Can we go tell Professor Dumbledore then?" she asked.

"I rather think it's a bit late to be disturbing Professor Dumbledore," Snape began, but was cut off by a sudden knocking at the door of his private rooms. He gave her a quick look that said '_stay here_' and hurried off to investigate who could be calling at the late hour.

He did not expect to find Minerva McGonagall standing at his door, grasping the arm of a terrified-looking Draco Malfoy who was whiter than the ghosts.

"Minerva," Snape acknowledged monotonously. "Draco. What brings the two of you here at such an early hour?"

"Young Mister Malfoy here," McGonagall began, "seems to feel that any hour is an acceptable one to be walking around the castle. I found him near the owlery on the way back from a discussion with Professor Dumbledore." Snape shot a look at Malfoy, who would not meet his eyes.

Snape pointed to the door to his office. "Draco, go sit and wait for me, I'd like to talk with Professor McGonagall for a couple moments." Malfoy complied silently. McGonagall turned to Snape.

"I don't know who he was trying to send a letter to," she began, "but I worry about its contents if he feels the need to send it in the middle of the night."

"Did you find a letter?" Snape asked.

"No. I figured it would be best to let you try to discern who he was communicating with in the event that it had something to do with You-Know-Who. He'll trust you, he thinks you're good friends with his father.'

Snape nodded. "Thank you, Minerva. I will see what I can find out." She nodded sharply and turned heel and left the dungeons. Snape walked through to his office where Malfoy was sitting and looking rather faint.

Snape snapped his fingers and a pot of tea appeared on the desk. He poured a cup for each of them. Malfoy did not drink.

"You should be more careful, Draco," Snape murmured quietly. "If you're sending letters with questionable content, it would be better to let it get lost amid the bustle of the morning mail at breakfast. We wouldn't want certain people getting hold of certain information, now would we?" Malfoy said nothing, but stared blankly at the desk. "Who were you writing to, Draco?"

"That's none of your business!" Malfoy finally snarled out. "It was nothing, I was just bored and couldn't sleep and wanted to go send a letter to a friend."

"You're lying," Snape told him calmly. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but his face seemed to pale even more. "Show me the letter."

"Wha-no!" Malfoy exclaimed.

"If you're being this foolishly reckless and getting caught in the middle of the night by Professor McGonagall, who, by the way, suspects already that you're corresponding with Death Eaters, I think it's my job to make sure you're not jeopardizing all that our side is working to accomplish at the moment. Show me the letter, Draco."

Malfoy refused again, now looking panicked more than ever. Finally, Snape gave up trying to persuade him.

"Accio letter!" he called. A small tan envelope flew from Draco's pocket, past his grasping fingers, and landed in Snape's open palm. Snape stared at the front of the envelope as Malfoy closed his eyes in resignation. He could hardly believe the name to whom the letter was addressed. It wasn't his father. It wasn't even any Death Eater.

It was addressed to Albus Dumbledore.

Surprise and curiosity now guiding his every move, Snape waved his wand and the letter tore open. With steady hands, he pulled the parchment out and began to read.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

**A/N: Sorry to leave it there. But it was getting kinda long, and I wanted to get this up today. Hopefully (fingers crossed!) the next one will be done very quickly. **

**So…predictions for what's in the letter? Why would he POSSIBLY be writing to Dumbledore? Dumdumdum! (well, it's probably not that hard to figure out, but whatev)**

**Anyway…review! Please! Cuz you love me? Reviews keep me goin', people!**

**Cheers!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Oh, I'm having fun with this…I hope you all are too. ******

**Disclaimer: Do we still need this for EVERY chapter? It's not mine, I make no money (sadly)**

**Chapter 18**

_Professor Dumbledore:_

_I feared to come to you in person, rather than to send this letter. I am in a precarious situation; such as it is, I have few delusions about surviving this war. I sense my father would rather kill me himself than see me turn down the dark mark upon my eighteenth birthday next year. I have chosen not to support the Dark Lord, though I must act that way among my housemates who are all-to-ready to report betrayals and misdeeds among their fellow students. _

_I do not write to you, however, to ask for your help on my own behalf; I must deal with my family situation as best I can, on my own. There is someone who does need your help, though. I am afraid one of your teachers is not as loyal to your side as you might hope. I assure you that Professor Snape is an active Death Eater who truly supports the Dark Lord. I myself was unsure of his loyalties until this year when I learned, through my father, of his abuse of a particular student: Hermione Granger. I first began to suspect (through hints in my father's letters and my own observations)of his actions sometime in November but, only upon returning home for Christmas break, did my father clearly reaffirm my fears, that Professor Snape has been physically and sexually abusing Granger for several months now. I regret not bringing this to your attention sooner, but I feared the consequences of pointing fingers unless I was sure of my suspicions. As far as I can discern, he has threatened her and her family thoroughly enough to keep her silent on the matter._

_I beseech you to act immediately on this; I am confident that you will find my accusations to be correct. I ask, however, that you be wary of any further attempts to contact me regarding this matter; as I said, many of my housemates are keeping close eyes on others' actions, at the orders of their parents and the Dark Lord. _

_D.M. _

Snape finished reading, mouth slightly agape. He read and reread the letter several times before looking up at Malfoy who sat shaking, staring at the floor.

"Draco," Snape said quietly. Malfoy didn't move. "Draco," he said in a more commanding voice, "look at me." Malfoy did as he was told, flinching slightly as he met the hard, black eyes of his potions professor. "Is this true? You no longer support the Dark Lord like your parents?"

"No, sir," he said, voice barely above a whisper. "I don't. It's all true." Snape's eyes searched his, looking for any trace of lie or deception. Finding none, he sat back and contemplated Malfoy for several long minutes.

"Are you going to kill me or just turn me over to my father first?" Malfoy finally managed to grind out, voice full of bitterness.

Snape started, realizing just how ruthless Malfoy thought him to be. He opened his mouth to speak but, at that moment, a house-elf popped in to the room.

"Master Snape," the elf squeaked, "someone wishes to floo from off the Hogwarts grounds to your quarters, a Master Malfoy. Shall I let him through or send him back?"

Snape swore under his breath as Draco looked stunned. "Wait three minutes before you let him through. If he asks about the delay, tell him the floo has been faulty for out-of-grounds floos for a couple days now," Snape instructed the house-elf. "Then, immediately, you are to go tell Professor Dumbledore to walk down to my quarters. He should still be awake. It is very important, however, that he _walk_, not floo," Snape stressed to the small elf, who bowed and disappeared. Snape turned to Malfoy who looked completely baffled. "I am going to lock you in this room, Draco," Snape told him quickly. "It is _extremely_ important that you make no attempt to leave, am I understood?" Malfoy nodded quickly. Snape pocketed the letter and strode through the door to his private quarters.

He found Hermione in the potions lab where he had left her, looking somewhat worried about how long he'd been gone.

"Wha-?" she began, but he cut her off.

"Lucius Malfoy will be here in a couple minutes," he told her. "Go change quickly and lie down. He won't be here long, I've set up a diversion to make him leave soon after he arrives."

He hurried off, leaving Hermione clueless as to the necessity of said diversion or what it was. She dashed to the spare bedroom and made quick work of her school clothes, discarding them for the nightwear she adorned when spending the night in Snape's quarters. She climbed in the large bed and feigned sleep, willing her heart to stop pounding. Moments later, the door opened and Snape swiftly lay down next to her, looking forever as though he were just roused from a deep sleep. She started as she felt his hands wrap around her waist and come to rest on her stomach.

"Relax," he murmured, "I won't hurt you."

A few seconds later, the door was pushed open. Lucius Malfoy cut an imposing figure in the doorframe against the pale light of the corridor outside.

"Lucius," Snape grumbled sleepily, "I say, is this really the time?"

"No better time than the present, surely you're quite aware of that," came Malfoy's delicate reply. He approached the bed and smiled slyly. "Oh now, isn't this touching," he drawled, "Perhaps I am interrupting something?"

Hermione blushed and was thankful that the room was dark, as Snape growled out, "In a manner of speaking."

"Well now," Lucius reached out a long pale finger to stroke the base of Hermione's throat, "I think that just makes matters more fun. Wouldn't you agree, Miss Granger?"

Unable to disagree with him but unable to bring herself to nod either, Hermione remained in tense silence, awaiting whatever this diversion to make Malfoy leave was. She was not prepared, however, for the sharp slap across her cheek that followed. She let out a brief cry, out of surprise more than anything.

"Answer me when I speak to you, mudblood!"

Snape moved faster than Hermione could blink. His wand was out and pointing at Malfoy in a split second. Hermione remarked that all traces of tiredness had vanished from Snape's bearing. Perhaps Malfoy had noticed the same thing, because he backed away quickly but maintained his cool demeanor.

"Awfully protective, aren't we, Severus?"

Snape snorted and lowered his wand. "I told you," he snarled, "the moment she shows any outward sign of damage, the game's up. Once her friends notice, it'd only be a matter of time for Dumbledore to get the truth out of her, and I don't think _that_ would make the Dark Lord particularly happy, do you?"

Malfoy was spared the rebuttal by a knock at the door. Hermione let out an inward sigh of relief, touching her sore face gingerly. She was slightly alarmed to feel a trickle of blood, and she realized that Malfoy had been wearing a ring on his hand that must have cut her.

"Expecting visitors?" Malfoy demanded, looking slightly harried.

"Probably more idiot students out of bed," Snape shrugged offhandedly. "You should go though, in case it's another teacher. And you," he turned to Hermione, "you stay here and _don't make a sound_," he finished with a snarl.

They left the room. Snape shut the door behind them and watched Malfoy floo back to his own home as another knock sounded at the door. Crossing the room in a few long strides, he opened the door to find Dumbledore standing there, as expected, looking serene as ever.

"You summoned?" Dumbledore asked mildly as he stepped in the room.

"It's been quite the night," Snape acknowledged tersely. "Lucius just left- I needed you to scare him off quickly. There are…pressing matters…that need discussed." He shot a glance at the door leading to his office, praying that Draco had followed his instructions.

"Problems?" Dumbledore queried.

"Not…exactly," Snape said hesitantly. "More like…complications, I suppose." He waved his wand at the office door, which swung open, revealing a startled Draco Malfoy sitting exactly where Snape had left him. "Come here and sit, Draco," Snape told him.

Malfoy turned to Dumbledore and began speaking quickly. "Sir, Professor, you have to-," he was cut off by Snape, who handed Dumbledore Malfoy's letter.

"He tried to send this to you tonight. Minerva found him in the corridors before he could reach the owlery though. She brought him down here."

Dumbledore scanned the letter quickly but thoroughly as Malfoy looked on, more confused than ever. Finally, Dumbledore turned and addressed him.

"Well, Mr. Malfoy, this is a rather reassuring bit of news for us, I must say. Your position, of course, is precarious, but…"

"BUT WHAT ABOUT GRANGER?" Malfoy finally yelled. "Everyone seems thrilled that I'm turning my back on my whole family but no one pays attention to the whole reason I wrote to you in the first place! Professor," he spoke earnestly now, almost forgetting Snape's presence, "my father was here. He saw her, here, in his bed, and more than once. He told me everything. The way she behaves in class this year, it's like she's…" Dumbledore held up a hand and Malfoy ceased his speech.

"Draco, the thing you have to understand about this situation-," he was again cut off.

"You knew?" Malfoy whispered incredulously. "You knew what was happening all along! Did you think your side had something to gain by it or something?"

Dumbledore seemed to realize that Draco was very firmly set in his belief. With a sigh, he turned to Snape. "She's here?" Snape gave a terse jerk of his head and pointed to the room which Lucius had only minutes before vacated. "Awake?" Again, he nodded. Dumbledore nodded back to him and motioned slightly with his hand. Snape stood, walked to the door, opened it, and went inside. A few seconds later, voices could be heard.

"…it's fine, I really don't need it looked at, I can just…" Hermione trailed off and stopped dead in her tracks, seeing a disbelieving Draco Malfoy sitting in the room with Professor Dumbledore. Snape, meanwhile, was attempting to look at the small cut across her face where Malfoy had slapped her.

Dumbledore smiled at her and motioned for her to take a seat, which she did. "Draco here would like an explanation as to why you're here, Miss Granger," he informed her precisely. "He wrote me a troubled letter, fearing for your well-being, after having some disturbing conversations with his father. I thought you might be the best to explain, since he clearly doesn't trust Professor Snape, nor myself, at the moment." His eyes were twinkling as he smiled at her.

She looked uncertainly from Dumbledore and back to Malfoy. Could he possibly be worried about her?

"It's alright," Dumbledore told her quietly. "He has chosen our side." That was enough for Hermione to trust him. She shrugged.

"It's a ruse," she acknowledged. "A trick to keep Professor Snape on You-Know-Who's good side, I suppose."

"If it's no more than that," Malfoy began in protest, "than what happened to your face?"

Hermione flushed slightly. "That," she told him coolly, "was actually the work of your father just a few minutes ago." Draco had the good sense to look somewhat abashed for his father's actions.

"But, my father said…"

"All your father ever saw was me pretending to be asleep," Hermione waved him off. "I come down late at night, sleep a few hours, leave early in the morning after he's been here."

"And the way you act in class…?" Hermione shrugged again.

"Just an act," she acknowledged. "Ironically enough, for your benefit more than anyone else's."

"Do you trust now that my true loyalties lie with Professor Dumbledore and _not_ with the Dark Lord, Draco?" Snape asked wryly. Hermione could have sworn that Malfoy blushed slightly.

"Yeah," he admitted, "I suppose I do."

"Wonderful!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "We shall, of course, have to work out how we will deal with this situation…but that can wait. Draco should be returning to his dorm before anyone notices he has been gone too long. Perhaps we can meet here some night next week and discuss…possibilities…" he trailed off ambiguously. Draco looked somewhat uncertain, but nodded his assent.

Malfoy left to return to the Slytherin common room. Dumbledore smiled contentedly at the two of them.

"It's so nice to have saved another young soul from the clutches of Lord Voldemort," he said in a reminiscing voice. He became slightly more serious as he looked at Hermione. "You're quite sure your face is alright, my dear?" he asked in concern. "It's bruising a bit around the cut…"

"I'll put something on it," Snape interjected before Hermione could speak up.

"Very well…we should all be heading to bed as well then, I imagine." Dumbledore stood up to leave. He had just started to walk out when Hermione remembered.

"Wait! Professor! We haven't told you about the potion…"

SCENESCENESCENESCENSCENESCENESCENE

**A/N: Well yeah. This must be a record number of chapters for me in a fairly short time. Woohoo. **

**I leave for school Friday morning…so if I don't write a whole chapter Thursday afternoon, it might be a while. This whole moving in, starting college, new people, new classes, that kinda thing…mildly overwhelming. **

**So, just the warning…be prepared (sorry!) for a possible break in chappies. **

**Loved the reviews guys…I'm so glad you all seem to be enjoying this! Keep up the good work!**

**Cheers!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Been a while. Sorry. School sucks. :-P**

**Disclaimer: I think I have said it enough…none of it is mine…**

**Chapter 19**

"Dear Merlin," Dumbledore breathed. "It's amazing." Snape had just shown him the two potions and their effects on another poor animal created from a paper clip. The rodent was again breathing heavily and weakened, but still alive following the administration of both potions.

"It isn't entirely complete," Snape acknowledged, "but from this point forward, it is only a matter of determining the ratios of the different ingredients. Albus," he actually sounded somewhat choked up, "this could be the downfall of the Dark Lord."

Dumbledore just shook his head, hardly daring to look hopeful.

Hermione spoke up. "The biggest problem now though," she explained, "will be procuring more phoenix tears. The small vial we have _might_ last us long enough to find the exact measurements of the potion…but then we'll hardly have any left for the Order."

"You're quite right," Dumbledore looked pensive, "I will have to contact a few of my potion sources across the world…well trusted people mind you; we wouldn't want Voldemort getting wind of our purchases, lest he begins to question you, Severus. See what you can do with what you have…try and figure out the exact potion…and I will do what I can to get you some more tears…"

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

Hermione could barely contain her euphoric state the next day, much to the bewilderment of Harry and Ron at dinner.

"She must have had humongous exam in Arithmancy," Ron wondered. "That usually gets her a bit excited…"

"Oh stop it, both of you, I'm just in a good mood! I want to do something fun…something adventurous…"

"Play quidditch?" Harry ventured.

"Sneak in to Hogsmeade?" Ron asked.

Hermione looked at her watch. "Oh no, I have to go!" she exclaimed, "I _do_ have an arithmancy test tomorrow I have to study for…bye, guys!" And she was off.

"Er…what just happened?" Ron asked Harry, bewildered.

"I think Hermione's just put us on the B list, behind Arithmancy, mate."

Seamus, who was sitting across the table from them, looked confused. "I should probably go find her and tell her she misread the class schedule," he said. "We don't have a test in that class for another week…"

Harry smirked. "She'll probably still want to study for it today anyway," he laughed. "But yeah, I guess we should head back to the common room and find her."

But Hermione was no where to be found. She wasn't in the common room or the girls' dormitory; they checked the library on the Marauders Map and anywhere else in the school they could think of, but she wasn't in any of those places either.

"Room of Requirement, maybe?" Ron asked.

"Well, if she is, we'd never know," Harry shrugged. "Ah well. We can just ask whenever we see her again. It's still pretty early, I'm sure she'll be back before we go to bed…"

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

"You're sure you are ready to handle this, Draco?" Dumbledore asked concernedly. "The Order of the Phoenix has many very effective ways in which we could hide you once your eighteenth birthday comes nearer."

"No," Draco was adamant. "I want to learn Occlumency with Granger. Anything I can do to make up for the wrongdoings of the rest of my family…"

Dumbledore smiled at him. "That is a very noble goal, Draco. I'm sure you will prove to be a valuable asset to us; even if you choose not to join the Order outright."

Snape looked contemplative as he regarded Hermione and Draco. "I've had another thought, Albus," he murmured. "Apparititon? They will begin to learn with their classmates towards the end of this year…but being able to apparate, especially when others believe you can't, is valuable tool indeed."

"That can be dangerous," Dumbledore warned, "and with limited supervision…then again, perhaps I can persuade another Order member…Remus, perhaps…to aide you in the endeavor."

"That would be…tolerable," Snape conceded roughly.

"Excellent! I will make him aware of the situation and let him know to contact you. Hopefully you will find time to work around your various other current projects."

"Oh, I think we'll manage," Snape regarded Hermione and Draco with raised eyebrows. They both nodded their consent, and looked at each other slightly warily; it seemed that they would be working together more than they could ever have imagined in the months to come.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

Hermione stayed up half the night with Snape to work on the potion, long after they finished talking about occlumency and apparition lessons to come with Malfoy. Consequently, she was incredibly tired the next morning when she woke very early, flooed to the Room of Requirement, and trudged along to the Gryffindor common room, expecting to sneak in unnoticed. But she was happy, because they had made significant progress with their cauldron of anti-Avada Kedavra potion. Looking forward to a hot shower and breakfast before class, Hermione never noticed that the common room wasn't vacated until someone grabbed each of her arms and pushed her in to a chair.

"What the- Ron! Harry! What are you two on about?" she shrieked at them.

"What are we on about? What are _you _on about, not coming back all night and trying to sneak in early in the morning before anyone notices?"

"How d'you…? Have you been waiting for me all night?" she asked.

"We have." Ron stated matter-of-factly. "And when we started to doze off, we set up an alarm to go off to let us know when someone walked in. Scared a second-year half out of his wits," he chuckled in fond reminiscence.

Hermione was indignant. "Well excuse me, _mum and dad_," she snarled, "I didn't realize I was supposed to give you hourly updates on my whereabouts."

Harry interrupted in a soothing voice. "Look, Hermione, it's not like that at all and you know it. Of course we're going to be worried if we don't know where you are all night. Voldemort's gaining support, half of Slytherin house are spying for their parents…we just worry what might happen to you if you're out roaming the halls in the middle of the night, that's all."

"That's right," Ron put in, "and if you're out spending the night with some Ravenclaw of Hufflepuff boyfriend or something, we'd rather know than be worrying about where you are all the time."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at that statement. "Wow, Ronald, your words of compassion have truly moved me," she said wryly. "No, seriously guys, stop worrying about me. You know I wouldn't do something rash and stupid at a whim."

"But…"

"I can't tell you," Hermione cut Ron off before he could finish. "I just can't. I'm sorry."

"You just seem to be full of secrets this year, Hermione," Harry stated coolly.

"What can I say? It comes with the territory of being _your_ friend," she retorted.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

A few days later, in the next Potions class, Malfoy noticed Hermione's somewhat uneasy demeanor. "Something bothering you, Granger?" he murmured quietly so no one would hear, as they were busy chopping flaxweed in to even strips.

"Harry and Ron," she muttered just as quietly in return. "They've really begun to notice the nights I'm gone. There's not really a whole lot I can tell them besides that I can't tell them anything. And I'll be gone again all night tonight and I really just don't want to have to worry about them on top of all the others things that will be going to tonight, what with occlumency and apparition and…other things…" She trailed off awkwardly, not wanting to point out the probably visit of Lucius Malfoy. But Draco understood what she meant and nodded uncomfortably.

"Ten minutes to finish up!" Snape's voice rang above the classroom. Most of the students began to rush to complete their final steps. Hermione and Draco, however, merely had to throw in the flaxweed, stir thrice counterclockwise, and lower the heat. A perfect potion. They each bottled a sample, labeled them, and placed them side-by-side on Snape's desk.

"See you tonight then," Draco gathered his things and departed the dungeon once they had finished cleaning up.

"See you tonight," Hermione murmured as he disappeared from sight.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

It had been decided that they would conduct occlumency and apparition lessons in Snape's house. They chose a small, unoccupied bedroom, one across the hall from that in which Hermione had stayed over the summer. She tried to not make it too obvious that she knew the house, and knew it very well. The plan was to work on occlumency for an hour and then be met by Remus, who would help with apparition for an hour.

"You are proving nearly as apt at blocking your mind as Miss Granger was," Snape said approvingly to Malfoy after half an hour of practice.

"Must be all the practice blocking my true emotions from my father," Malfoy answered wryly.

"Indeed," Snape answered. "In any case, you have a long way to go before-," he was cut off by Remus, bursting in to the room without a knock.

"Dear lord, Lupin, what has happened?" Snape looked mildly annoyed at the suddenness of the intrusion.

"Death Eaters," Remus gasped, out of breath. "In Hogsmeade. Albus sent me to get you."

Snape turned to look at Hermione and Malfoy, unsure what to do. "You'd best stay here," he decided quickly, "in the concealed room," he added to Hermione. Malfoy looked bewildered, but said nothing.

"I want to come back to Hogwarts," Hermione protested, "my friends will be wondering where…"

"Your friends will be made aware that you are in a safe location, and that they have no reason to be wondering on the grounds trying to be heroes," Snape interjected firmly. "Come, Remus."

They apparated in a flash.

"Come on, Draco," Hermione grabbed his arm and pulled him out the door and down the hallway. She stated the two passwords to reveal and open the secret bedroom door and pulled Malfoy inside, shutting the door quickly behind them.

"How did you know about this room? How do you know anything at all about Snape's house, for that matter?" Malfoy asked. Hermione said nothing, unsure how much was safe to reveal to him. It turned out though, that it didn't matter either way; he was quicker on the uptake than she ever gave him credit for.

"Unless- when you escaped the Death Eaters during the summer- it was Snape. And he brought you here…and hid you from the Dark Lord."

There seemed little point in denying it. Hermione nodded her affirmation, and Malfoy looked shocked.

"It all makes so much more sense now," he breathed.

"What does?" Hermione asked quickly.

"You and Professor Snape. You get along so well, it's like you've been friends for ages. But I couldn't understand how that could be if you were suddenly thrown together and forced to put on a grotesque act for my father; but you were already friends before the year started, weren't you? And the night of the feast, when I saw you heading down to the dungeons, and Snape found us…that all makes sense now."

"You understand how imperative it is that no one else ever knows any of that, right?" Hermione asked him. "It could jeopardize all of our lives."

"No, I understand," Malfoy assured her hurriedly. She gave him a small smile, but then suddenly looked worried again. "What is it?"

"Harry and Ron will try to go look for me," she sighed, sitting down on the bed.

"I'm sure the castle is perfectly well protected," Malfoy offered quietly.

"Oh, I'm sure it is too. But I'm afraid that, when they can't find me in the castle, they'll stop at nothing. And they know several secret paths in to Hogsmeade."

Malfoy sat on the bed next to her, and put a stiff, awkward, but comforting arm around her shoulders. "The best we can do now is to wait for Professor Snape to come back," he said. Hermione sighed resignedly, and leaned her head on his shoulder. And so they waited.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

**A/N: Finally, another chapter! (Albeit a kind of awkward and uneventful one…)**

**I like reviews. They make me happy. ******

**I'm off school this week for spring break…so hopefully the boredom of sitting around home will inspire me. Hehe. **

**Until next time…**

**Cheers!**


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Thanks to my one reviewer and two people who put my story in their favorites lists ;-p

**A/N: Thanks to my reviewers…I'm glad to see you haven't totally given up on me after my months of absence… I've been posting this story for a crazy long time now…but I can see a definite end…which isn't to say it's soon, persay…but getting close. **

**Disclaimer: It's all JK Rowling's. We know that. Siriusly. **

**Chapter 20**

A very tired Severus Snape pushed open the door to the hidden bedroom to find a site which floored him; on the bed, Hermione Granger dozing in the arms of Draco Malfoy. He had already opened his mouth to begin to speak, when Malfoy held up a finger, pointing it at Hermione.

"She's been kind of upset for the last couple of hours, since you left. She's only just gotten to sleep."

Snape nodded his understanding.

"Is everything alright?" Draco asked worriedly, but quietly. "At school? In Hogsmeade?"

Snape sighed. "A few minor injuries of some bystanders in the village. It seemed to be a practice run more than anything else; not a force strong enough to have any real delusions of taking the castle. Probably just a scouting party to test the defensive mechanisms for when they decide to make a _true_ invasion." He sighed again. "And what bothers me the most is that I had no wind of it beforehand. A meeting was summoned immediately following the 'attack.' The Dark Lord claimed it was so I would have complete denial and no chance of Albus seeing that I really did know. Which really means, however, is he still doesn't trust me thoroughly, and wanted a true gauge of the castle's defensives, not a façade of them once I'd passed along the information to Professor Dumbledore."

"And the students?" Draco pressed. "All alright?"

"Just fine," came Remus's weary voice from the doorway. "We just finished getting a head count from all of the houses. From what I hear, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley gave Minerva quite the interrogation as to the whereabouts of Miss Granger, though she herself has no clue as to where she is. Professor Dumbledore had to be quite firm with her when she demanded to know where her student was, but he assured her that she's in a very safe location." As he finished speaking, he finally seemed to register the exact position of the two on the bed and gave them a wry, quizzical look, but did not comment.

"We should probably get the two of you back to the school as quickly as possible," Snape pointed out. "Draco, if your housemates inquire where you've been…would it suffice to say you were meeting with me and when the commotion started, I told you to remain in my office and locked you in, and only just returned from meeting with the Dark Lord to let you out? Could you think of a decent excuse as to our meeting in the first place?"

"Sure," Draco replied, "something to do with prefect rounds or something ought to be enough to dissuade any suspicion."

"Very well. You and I will floo back to my quarters; Remus, perhaps you can escort Miss Granger back to Gryffindor tower from the Room of Requirement? It will seem less suspicious that way, as I'm sure Mr. Potter will be up until she returns, and can merely conclude she's been at headquarters or some such place."

Lupin nodded his assent, and went to gently shake Hermione's shoulder in order to wake her, which she did with a start to see Lupin and Snape back again.

"Professor…is everyone okay? What happened? Are Harry and R…?"

"Calm yourself, my dear, everything is fine," Remus replied in a kindly voice. "We can return you to the castle now, if you're ready." She nodded and, looking somewhat embarrassed, removed herself from Draco's one-armed shoulder embrace.

"We'll come back to practice appartition another time?" she asked earnestly.

"Of course," Snape replied smoothly. "But for now, you and Lupin will floo to the Room of Requirement and he shall escort you back to the tower. Obviously, do not reveal where you've been, but allow others to perhaps assume you've been at headquarters, thus explaining Lupin's presence…" he trailed off, and Hermione nodded. "You may floo out of the lounge where we came in," he indicated a general direction with his hand. Draco and I are going to stay behind and talk for a few minutes and then follow you back to the castle. I will be in touch to inform you when we may proceed with our lessons."

Draco looked someone apprehensive to hear that they would be having a talk, but Hermione and Remus just nodded and departed.

When they reached the Room of Requirement, Hermione made to immediately depart and head to the common room. Remus, however, stopped her to talk briefly. She looked up in to his wise, overly-aged face, anxious to see Harry and Ron. "Yes, professor?"

"Please," he smiled, "Remus, especially when we're not around other students. I simply wanted to say…" he trailed off, searching for the words. "I don't know what kind of friendship, or relationship, you have with Draco Malfoy, but…"

"Oh, Pr- Remus, sorry to cut you off, but it's not like that!" she exclaimed. "What just happened…I mean, it wasn't…" she stopped mid-sentence not sure what she really wanted to say.

"I'm not saying you're madly in love or anything," Remus acknowledged wryly. "What I mean though, is that it can be difficult even being friends with someone who is forced to play both sides of the fence. His life may one day depend on his being able to put up a convincing front for Voldemort and, until Voldemort is destroyed for good, that will always come first, not friendships with friends of Harry Potter. That will always have to stay on the backburner for him, out of sheer necessity to survive."

Hermione smiled gently. "I understand that, Remus, believe me, I understand it better than you probably think. It was the same way with Professor Snape when the year first started; I was kind of taken aback at first, I wasn't used to him behaving like…like…well, like he always had before this summer, I guess," she acknowledged. "But I've made my peace with it, knowing that he doesn't really mean any of it, and I can do the same with Draco."

"I'm sure you can, it's just…" Lupin stopped and smiled. "Never mind," he said, "you're right." He continued smiling.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, confused at his sudden change in demeanor.

"Nothing. It's just- you two really are friends, aren't you?" he asked.

She looked confused. "Well, I mean I guess. It's really just been a couple weeks since we started acting civilly towards one another and…"

"No, I mean you and Professor Snape," he corrected her gently.

"Oh!" exclaimed Hermione. "Well, I mean…of course. I owe him my life. Several times over, probably," she added.

Lupin nodded, in thought. After a few moments, he placed an arm on her back and guided her out of the room, and the two made their way towards Gryffindor Tower.

When they entered the portrait hole, once Hermione had supplied the password, an interesting, and somewhat intimidating sight, in Hermione's opinion, met their eyes; Harry was pacing quickly in front of the fireplace in a small rampage while Ron and Ginny were sitting in matching arm chairs playing chess, nodding their heads and muttering affirmations to Harry periodically.

"…can't believe her!" Harry exclaimed, and it didn't take Hermione long to figure out who the 'her' was referring to. "She disappears half the nights, refuses to say where she's gone, and then the school is _attacked_ and she _still_ doesn't turn up! No one will say where she is, just that 'she's safe, but we can't tell you where she is' crap! I mean, seriously…" he finally turned towards the portrait hole and trailed off. "Remus!" A short pause. "Hermione…" his face suddenly turned a shade of scarlet to compete with the Weasleys' hair as he seemed to comprehend that they'd been present for a least enough of that to get the general gist.

Upon hearing her name, however, Ron and Ginny leapt up and came over to embrace her and pull her into the room. After assuring her that they'd been worried about her and were glad to see her okay, Harry made his way slowly to where they stood.

"I'm glad that you're alright, Hermione," he said very formally and tonelessly. He turned to acknowledge Lupin. "Remus," he nodded his head. Then he abruptly turned heel and walked a little bit too quickly out of the portrait hole without another word. The other four stood there speechless. Finally, Remus broke the silence. "Excuse me a few minutes," he said with a grimace, and turned to follow Harry.

He caught up with Harry in no time at all, who was just meandering aimlessly with no clear destination. Harry sighed as Lupin approached and, already knowing who it would be, launched into a frustrated apology.

"I'm sorry, Remus, I really am, but it just infuriates me sometimes! We worry about her, we all do! And I don't even know what she's gotten herself into except that I know it means she's out late a lot, sometimes doesn't even come back until just before breakfast. And no one will even tell me that she's in the castle while Hogsmeade is under attack, and for all I know, she's in the village being kidnapped by some death eaters while the rest of us sit idly by with promises of 'she's safe, don't worry about it'!"

As Harry was speaking, Remus drew him in to an empty classroom and shut the door, locking it and sound-proofing it so that they could speak without fear of being overheard.

When he finished his tirade, Remus inspected him over his joint fingertips which he'd raised to his face. Finally, he spoke up. "Surely you trust Professor Dumbledore," he said, a tad coolly, it seemed to Harry.

Harry at least had the good grace to look somewhat abashed. "Well yeah, of course I do," he said, "but being told one of your best friends is safe and okay just isn't quite the same as actually seeing her being safe and okay, you know?"

"I do know." Lupin said shortly, quietly. "Dear Merlin, do I know that," he whispered, almost to himself. After a few tense moments, he addressed Harry again. "I don't think that's entirely what bothers you though, is it?" he asked, slightly more gently this time.

"I…I'm not sure what exactly…?"

"You're jealous!" Remus exclaimed, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"What! Of course I'm not- what would I possibly have…?"

"Hermione has a secret, she's actively involved in something, you don't know what, maybe for the Order even, and you're sitting around, doing actual class work and having, for you, a relatively uneventful year thus far. You're jealous that, for once, the intrigue doesn't include you, you have no adventures to embark upon, no mysteries to solve, but Hermione has found herself something all on her own and _it doesn't involve you_." Harry looked angry for a few seconds before he jumped on something Remus had said.

"So she _is _doing something for the Order?" he asked cautiously. Remus looked exasperated.

"You know I can't tell you that explicitly," he answered vaguely, purposely giving Harry even more reason to assume that and let it drop. "I can tell you, though, that it isn't something she's involved in by much choice of her own and, if she could talk about it, she would."

Harry finally relented. Nodding his head, he said, "I know. I am sorry. You're right. I guess I should go apologize to her, huh?"

"I think that would be a marvelous idea," Remus said sagely.

They returned to the common room and found Ron and Ginny telling Hermione about the attack, if you could call it that, and the chaotic way the students had behaved at first, especially the younger ones. Hermione laughed, but it was cut short when she noticed Harry approaching the group, looking remorseful. She raised her eyebrows inquiringly.

Harry took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I had no right to get angry with you. It's just frustrating, seeing you out being involved, and having to sit here not knowing what's going on with anything. I understand though, I really do. I guess I was just a little sore," he grinned wryly. "But I know it's not your fault."

Hermione smiled broadly and jumped out of here seat and embraced Harry strongly. "Thanks," she whispered. "Apology accepted."

**A/N: Yay. 'Nother chapter done. Getting down to it soon… ******

**Review, cuz you love me. Yay. **

**Cheers!**


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Thanks to my one reviewer and two people who put my story in their favorites lists ;-p

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Damn. :P**

**Chapter 21**

The next few days proceeded almost normally for Hermione. Many of the professors used the opportunity the weekend presented to go over security details and ensure that the castle was as intruder-proof as it ever would be. This of course, can accompanied with the even stricter policies regarding curfews, times allowed on the grounds, and moving from class to class for the younger students. Just as Harry, Ron, and Hermione had done as second years, the younger students were encouraged (strongly encouraged, Hermione noted) to walk in groups from class to class, especially when it came to subjects such as Herbology or Care of Magical Creatures which necessitated a walk across the grounds. No one wanted vulnerable first or second years trekking alone across the grounds with the ever-increasing and imminent threat of attack.

This added distraction on the part of the professors also meant, Hermione noted, that her meetings with Professor Snape had come to an abrupt stop throughout the weekend and into the next week. She was somewhat disappointed; they were getting even closer to getting a good potion and worked exactly as it should, and she was enjoying Occlumency lessons for the most part and anxious to start apparition lessons. On the other hand, she'd been so non-stop busy for so long that it was nice to finally be able to relax and concentrate fully on her work and not worry about sneaking down to Snape's quarters at a certain time to work on other things.

One thing was on Hermione's mind, though; Draco Malfoy. He had been nice to her, comforted her, reassured her…and now was back to being distant, uncommunicative, only talking to her in Potions when absolutely necessary and ignoring her quiet inquisitions as so what was bothering him. She couldn't really push the matter, however, lest someone notice them and wonder why they were talking civilly at all, so she let it rest and resolved to confront him the next time they met in Snape's office at night.

She was, therefore, glad when she received a small note from Snape on Thursday morning at breakfast requesting her presence that night at eleven. She looked up at the head table when Harry and Ron were distracted and met Snape's eye, gave him the smallest of smiles and an almost imperceptible nod. She then glanced over towards the Slytherin table, but Draco was faced the other direction and she had little interest in seeing Pansy Parkinson or Vincent Crabbe.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

That night, Hermione followed her usual path from Gryffindor Tower to the Room of Requirement, flooed to Snape's office, and tapped quietly at the door to avoid attracting any attention from anyone who might be nearby, unlikely as that was. Her and Draco had long ago been told the password, but she preferred to stand on ceremony and knock, especially because of how suspicious it would look for her of all people letting herself in to Snape's private quarters. The door opened immediately and she was beckoned inwards.

"Lucius wishes to see you tonight," Snape informed her in a tight, controlled-sounding voice. "But in the meantime, we can either work on the potion or Occlumency, whichever you see fit."

"Erm…is Draco coming to work on Occlumency?" she asked.

"No," Snape informed her shortly, "Draco and I worked on it last night after he finished prefect rounds."

"Oh." Hermione was silent, pondering the last week in her mind. Her conversation with Remus in the Room of Requirement, Snape keeping Draco behind to talk to him, Draco's distance in Potions class, all of the new restrictions on the students after- what?- a semi-attack that was more geared towards intelligence gathering to find a weak spot in the castle's defenses?

"What's happened?" Hermione asked slowly, suspiciously.

"What do you mean?" Snape said a little guardedly.

"You tell me!" Hermione exclaimed. "After the _attack_, if you can even call it that, everyone's just been acting oddly! All the new security measures for the students, teachers popping up everywhere at weird times, checking up on Harry, just like in our third year when we all thought Sirius was after him. And Remus took me aside and basically told me not to be friends with Draco because of his need to be convincingly evil towards You-Know-Who! Is that what you told him, back at your house? To avoid me, stop talking to me when he didn't have to? If so, it's worked!"

Out of breath, Hermione regarded Snape a tad warily, unsure if she'd been too…petulant, maybe? He simply regarded her…was it sadly? After a long pause during which Hermione swallowed very hard several times, Snape finally spoke up.

"I did not tell Draco that outright," he said quietly. "I warned him, however, of attachments with people whom he one day may need to…" he sought out the right word. "…convincingly despise, condemn, or even…"

"Kill." Hermione finished his sentence.

"I didn't say that!" Snape retorted sharply. More softly this time, "I didn't say that." He took a deep breath and sighed. "You saw what happened when I let my feelings for you slip for even a moment in the presence of the Dark Lord. I am a trained Occlumens; Draco is not. He would face very severe consequences if someone found out that the two of you were friends, let alone anything else."

Hermione's mind stumbled a little at the word 'feelings' but she didn't let it show. She still had questions.

"But why now?" she exclaimed. "We've been working together for a few weeks now, surely you saw that danger then. You seemed confident in our abilities to sufficiently conquer Occlumency when you decided to give Draco lessons. Something happened that night that you're not telling me. I could see it in both your's and Remus's faces."

Snape closed his eyes, sat down, and rested his head in his hand. "Very well," he finally acknowledged. "Very well." Opened his eyes and surveyed her piercingly. "After I met the Dark Lord last week, I first returned to the school to pass along a vital piece of information to Albus before returning to you and Mr. Malfoy. Albus must have relayed that to Remus before he too came to retrieve you."

"What did you tell…?"

"The professors of this school and not following Mr. Potter around, Miss Granger! It's _you_ the Dark Lord wants this time. The so-called 'attack' on Hogsmeade was merely an attempt to see where the weaknesses of the village lie and what the best way to sneak in and out would be. Which means it will be up to the people in the castle who support the Dark Lord to draw you out, or kidnap you, or trick you into going to Hogsmeade. Which also means that the task will fall to the Slytherin students. The Dark Lord is not about to risk my position here by having me whisk you away one night; it would be too easily traced, since it would need to be conducted by floo, and there are too many people for me to physically remove you from the grounds. Which means the Slytherin students will soon be tasked with the job."

Hermione was speechless. She knew Voldemort was angry about her escape from him over the summer. She hadn't realized, though, what a vengeance he had in store for her, enough to focus on getting her over Harry Potter. Then again, by getting hold of Hermione, Harry would be sure to spring to the rescue…perhaps that was his logic. But she still didn't understand one thing.

"Professor…I'm sorry, I'm trying to understand…but why does that mean that Draco and I can't be friends anymore?"

"It's not that you can't be friends," Snape replied resignedly. "It's that he needs to be in a mental place where he could make a serious attempt at luring you out of the school or even physically forcing you, at least until a professor caught up with him. The benefit of having Draco on our side is that, as such an attempt is likely to be engineered by him, on orders of Lucius and the Dark Lord, he can tip us off as to when and where we can best ambush him and whoever else to make it look like a convincing effort on his part and ours."

He seemed to fight with himself ever so briefly as to whether or not he should continue; there seemed to be one last point on Snape's mind though that was necessary to close the conversation.

"If the two of you get too close…he may find it difficult if he needs to stun you, confront you in a duel…or watch another of his housemates use the Cruciatus curse on you," he finished softly.

"Oh." Hermione really didn't know what to say. "Did you tell all of this to Draco?" she asked.

Snape nodded. "Yes. He became a tad resentful, I think, but accepted that I at least made a point."

"Well, don't you think," Hermione started to ask hesitantly, "that the two of us could talk about it…you know, here…one night. And, if and when You-Know-Who or his father does actually approach him about it…we could have a plan between ourselves so that we could make it look even more convincing. After all…we're both pretty good actors by this point, I think you'll agree." She smiled ruefully at him.

Snape nodded his consent but said nothing. He regarded her closely, almost sizing her up, it seemed. Eventually, their eyes met and she could sense his probing into her mind, but she resisted it fairly easily and out of reflex more than any actual desire to block her thoughts from him.

"Perhaps tomorrow night," he finally spoke up. "And now," he announced standing, "I think it's time to continue our work on the potion. It's fairly obvious that you are progressing quite nicely in Occlumency, so this will take precedent for a few days."

And just like that, it was back to business.

Hermione went to change into her bed things first, in case Lucius Malfoy decided to make an early appearance and she had to quickly be ready for him.

She rejoined Snape in the parlor room and sat down to read their notebooks full of annotations and comments about the potion before actually venturing into the lab. "Albus says he should have more phoenix tears by next week," Snape said to her offhandedly as they perused their notes. "So, if we're lucky, we can perfect it with the little bit we have left in this vial and use the entire new stock for a complete potion."

Hermione looked at him, letting that comment sink in. "You really think we're that close?" she whispered breathlessly. They could actually be less than a week from finding a counteraction to the _Avada Kedavra_ curse?

"I did a few alterations on my own during the past week," he commented. "The phoenix tears seem almost perfect. I still have a living rat from Sunday evening, and he's improving. I even ventured to cast the curse, rather than use the potion that serves its equivalent. The side effects were precisely the same for the spell and the potion, which is good. He was pretty weak and wheezy for the first several hours, but I think he'll pull through. What we need though, is just a little more to prevent that from happening at all, so it won't hinder someone hit by the curse."

Hermione was welled up with emotion. They were close. It was within their grasp. It was the step that would put them in striking distance of Voldemort. Without the threat of the _Avada Kedavra_ curse, it would be so easy to take down the Death Eaters and get to Voldemort. She turned to Snape, gave an emotional, excited cry of excitement, and threw her arms around his neck. He stood there, statuesque, for several awkward seconds, before patting her gently on the back and resting his chin on top of her head.

A cleared throat shot them up from the couch like lightening, wands drawn. It was Draco, who stood, hands up defensively, at the door leading from the office, obviously having taken advantage of knowing the password to let himself in. He had a letter in one of his raised hands, and a bemused look on his face.

"Sweet Merlin," breathed Snape.

"I knocked, a few times," Draco stated in his own defense. But no one was actually angry, and he knew it, so he jumped right in. "I've received a letter from my father. It's a tad cryptic, but I think I get the main idea." He became more tense and serious as he spoke and when he was done, he fixed Hermione with a penetrating stare that said it all. _They're after you._

**A/N: Two chapters in one day! WOW! I'm so proud of myself. ;-) **

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! You all still like it, right? Cuz it's getting close to the end…sort of. Haha. **

**Cheers!**


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Thanks to my one reviewer and two people who put my story in their favorites lists ;-p

**A/N: Thanks for the feedback, guys. Oh, and a line keeps coming up at the top of my chapters…I don't know why, it's not on the page I'm uploading! Some glitch in the system, I dunno. Anyway, contrary to that, thanks everyone for your support. ;-)**

**Note: to AraBella Snape: I appreciate the concern. However, I can't really see myself writing this where a professor who's much older than his students has a romantic ending with one of them. I feel like JK Rowling's characters have better judgement than that, and my goal is to portray them as accurately as possible, personality-wise (minus the occasional TOTAL OOC moment…but yeah.) Frankly, I haven't decided whether or not it will end up being a Hermione/Draco. But sadly, I'm going to have to veto the possibility of being a Snape/Hermione ending. Which I believe I indicated periodically throughout the story. And Malfoy may have been mean to her for years; but so was Snape. **

**So to sum up (to everyone), Snape and Hermione have a mutual, unspoken understanding as friends and nothing more. Good friends, yes. Perhaps a better friend than Snape has had in a long time. But still just friends. **

**Disclaimer: The usual. All JKs…except the plot. Lol. **

**Chapter 22**

Draco looked up from the brief note Hermione had slid him the next morning at the end of their Potions class. _Room of Requirement, 10:00? _They were supposed to go to Snape's quarters again at 11 that night, but apparently Hermione wanted to talk to him alone first. He looked over at her, consciously keeping his eyes averted, and gave a miniscule jerk of his head to indicate an affirmative reply. As class ended, he walked to the Great Hall for lunch, deep in thought.

The night before, he had walked into Snape's office and tapped lightly on the door of his private quarters. Earning no reply, but hearing voices of Hermione and Snape, he assumed they just weren't paying attention or hadn't heard it. He was therefore, surprised to open the door and find the two of them in a gentle embrace. He did not know what they had been talking about beforehand, and wasn't about to ask, but he had noticed the way the Hermione swept up the notebooks lying on the table when she thought no one was paying attention to her. Well, Draco at least had been watching her out of the corner of his eye. He suspected that the two things were somehow related, but on top of other matters, that did not seem like it could carry less importance in his life.

The owl from his father had been expected, as had the contents within. The good thing was that no specific time frame had been laid out yet. He had basically told him, discreetly as possible, to start organizing the Slytherin students loyal to the Dark Lord- Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, Parkinson, etc.- and begin working on a possible plan to get to Granger. He wanted it to be fool proof, as did the Dark Lord. So they would be lenient with time, which gave the rest of them at school time to act first, hopefully. The hardest part would be planning something and keeping it unobvious that Draco was in on it. He would do anything in his power, though, not to-

"Draco!"

He was jerked out of his thoughts by the arrival of Pansy Parkinson, who plopped down in the seat next to him and began talking about things Draco couldn't have cared less about, but in her oblivious state to all things not directly related to her, she didn't notice.

He glanced over two tables, across the group of Ravenclaws with their school books and notes spread everywhere, over to the Gryffindor table. His eyes hastily swept the table, but there was no sign of Granger. He was surprised at the unexpected feeling of disappointment that swept over him. Was he that far reduced, that her mere lack of presence, despite the fact that they never exchanged words if they weren't in class or in Snape's quarters, was a blow to him mentally? As he thought about it though, he realized that it was fear for her safety which started the twinges in his stomach.

This train of thought made Draco _very_ uncomfortable, and he quickly abandoned it and continued the façade of paying attention to Pansy. That got old soon, and his eyes began, once more, to wander the Great Hall. He was not disappointed for long, because, as his gaze reached the great double doors, in she walked, flanked by her two friends, Potter and Weasley. As they walked, however, he realized that they were arguing, quietly, but intensely. She seemed to be reprimanding them for something, and Potter had placed his hands up in a defensive measure against her wrath.

Unable to hear anything though, he averted his gaze so as not to appear suspicious to any of his housemates who would wonder why he was suddenly so interested in Potter and his golden group. Maybe he'd find out that night in the Room of Requirement.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

"Harry!"

"Hermione, it's not that big of a deal, if you don't want to come-"

"Of course I don't want to come, and you shouldn't go!"

"Hermione," Ron interjected smoothly as possible, trying to lessen her indignation, "we've snuck into Hogsmeade _loads_ of times, it'll just be a routine trip, all we want to get is some butterbeer and snacks for the Quidditch game that's coming up. We'd be back before you knew it, what's the big deal?"

"Aren't you," she started to shriek at them but realized, as they walked into the Great Hall, that her voice was entirely too loud and could probably be heard by nearly everyone, so she lowered it a good deal. "Aren't you worried about the attack last week?" she implored them. "The Death Eaters could come back, and you know it would happen _just_ when you didn't want it to, right when the worst possible time would be."

"Well that's why we'd have the invisibility cloak," Harry stated dryly. "Look, just don't come then, I don't care, we just thought we'd ask is all. Besides, it's hard to fit more than two under the cloak anyway, someone would've had to wait in the passageway."

Hermione felt somewhat stung at the way Harry said all of that, like she was being removed gradually from the trio the three of them had maintained since that Halloween night of their first year. And now they wouldn't even listen to her warnings. Well, there was one way to get them…

"I'm serious this time, Harry. I _will_ go to McGonagall if I find out that you and Ron are actually going through with this idiotic plan of yours." She kept her voice firm and even, but she knew this would kill their sense of camaraderie if she was actually forced to get them in trouble. But what choice did she have? If Snape was right (and she knew he was), the threat against all three of them was probably more heightened than ever before, and to be sneaking in to Hogsmeade _now_…

They stared at each other for a few long moments. Eventually, Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Ron interjected softly.

"Just let it go mate," he muttered, nudging Harry's side to get him to sit in the seat they had just reached. Harry sighed loudly, turned, and sat. He immediately began piling all sorts of food on his plate which Hermione was pretty sure was an excuse to not pay attention to anyone else while he blew off some mental steam. She was pretty sure she had them though, and that was most important. Anything to keep them safely out of the clutches of Voldemort and his Death Eaters, even if it sacrificed their friendship on a certain level.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

"Did anyone see you come in?" Hermione asked Draco as he quickly walked into the Room of Requirement and shut the door with a snap behind him.

"No," he assured her, looking around the room. Not knowing what she'd designated the room as, he just thought about going to wherever she was, and this is where he'd ended up. There were shelves full of books and other objects relating to Arithmancy. Obviously she'd come here early to work on some homework or study. "So what's up, that couldn't wait until we both go to Snape's office in another hour?"

Hermione sighed. "Look, I'll just cut right to the chase," she said, and then paused briefly to think about how to word what she wanted to say, even though she'd been thinking about it for the last hour since she arrived in the Room of Requirement.

"Professor Snape told me everything, including what was in that letter you received from your father last night. And I just want to say that I'm sorry for everything you're going through right now with your family and You-Know-Who. It's cruel and unfair, to automatically be expected to follow in your parents' footsteps."

Draco looked closely at Hermione's face and into her eyes. "You didn't come here just to reiterate how depressing my home life is," he stated wryly.

"No," Hermione agreed. "Not at all. What I wanted to say is this; you don't need to block me out just because of what Snape told you." He started to interrupt her but she cut him off quickly, knowing she wanted to say everything in one shot. "I understand what he was saying, I really do. But the more we work together on this, the better and more convincing we can make it, you know? If we start working now, we can be incredibly prepared for any scenario that we need to construct and we can help each other with what will need to be done." She took a deep breath. "Besides…you're the only person who really knows what's going on and I can actually talk to about the whole situation…well…you know." She smiled almost apologetically, thinking she might have assumed too much about the boundaries of their friendship.

Draco struggled for words. "It's been…refreshing, I guess…having a friend who isn't a pawn of the Dark Lord. I never dreamed, when I went to send that letter to Dumbledore, that things would work out this way. I guess, when Snape told me what I might have to do, even if it was just an act, I panicked. What I hated though, wasn't pretending to be a follower of the Dark Lord, I've been doing that all my life. It was the thought of hurting you, or allowing someone else to do it in front of me that really hit me. Since that day at the lake, I've felt oddly protective of you, even though I hardly ever saw you. It was that which finally gave me the gall to stand up to Snape, even though it did take me a while to get up the courage."

Hermione smiled at him. "I guess I never really did get the chance to thank you properly for saving my life." She approached him and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Draco," she whispered. "For everything."

He muttered something under his breath about how he didn't really do anything extraordinary. Hermione quickly told him to shut up and accept the thank you. He laughed and obliged.

"You're welcome."

"So we're okay, then?" Hermione asked. "We can still be friends?" Her eyes twinkled as she grinned at him.

"Of course," he replied, amusedly. "But I do have one thing I have to ask you." She raised her eyebrows inquiringly. "When I walked in last night and you and Snape were hugging…" Hermione looked somewhat wary now. "What were you guys working on?"

"It's not-" she paused, surprised at his question. "Wait, what?"

"There were notes on the table and you sounded excited like you'd just figured something out maybe…?"

Hermione looked at him for a long time. Finally, she said apologetically, "I can't tell you. I'm sorry, but the fewer people who know, the better."

"Oh. That's fine. I was just wondering."

"Okay." Hermione checked her watch. "Now let's go learn how to apparate."

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

"I really think we should listen to Hermione on this one, mate," Ron said hesitantly, as Harry dug through his trunk looking for the invisibility cloak.

"Not you too!" Harry sounded somewhat amused, but Ron sensed the exasperation under his tone.

"It's not that I don't want to!" Ron assured him hastily. "But she'll be paying extra attention in the next couple weeks and I really don't want her to go to McGonagall and get the lecture about how much we ignore the safety established for our benefit and blah, blah, blah…"

Harry pondered that a moment. "Perhaps you're right," he conceded. "Well, the season isn't over. The next game is at the end of March, it's only a little more than a month away. Perhaps we should put the plan away until Hermione has forgotten about it and then by the time we get back with all the stuff, she can't really get mad any more because she knows we made it safely back."

"Sounds like a plan," Ron accepted jovially, just desperately hoping that Hermione's intervention into their Hogsmeade plans wouldn't cause another rift in their already strained friendship.

**A/N: Well, there's another one. Just a bit of a bridge chapter, I think, to build up to bigger and better things. Yay. ;-) **

**I like reviews. Tehe. **

**Cheers!**


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Thanks to my one reviewer and two people who put my story in their favorites lists ;-p

**A/N: I'm really excited to get going on the rest of the story now. I hope you are all just as excited to read it. ;-)**

**Disclaimer: none is mine, don't sue me. :) **

**Chapter 23**

The next few weeks passed Hermione by in a whirlwind of busy days and nights. If she wasn't in class, she was working on homework. If she wasn't doing homework, she was busy perfecting her technique in apparition or occlumency. If she wasn't doing one of _those_, she was working on the finishing touches of the potion with Snape.

The potion was what kept her spirits up through all of this. They had attained a perfect concoction a couple weeks prior; now the chief concern was whether or not the concentration level of the potion would need to be higher for a more complex life form, i.e., a human. They had discussed the possibilities with Dumbledore on how that might be tested, but had, unfortunately, come to the conclusion that they would just have to hope for the best beyond the tests of the lab animals derived from paperclips and tea cups.

With that figured, they spent some time figuring out for how long the potion would work. By increasing the level of mandrake root, they were able to attain a potion that would still function up to twelve hours after being imbibed; the last challenge, once they had accomplished all of that, was to use their notes from the past several months to reconstruct the potion in full, and in a greater quantity.

Hermione had never fully appreciated Snape's skill until now; she would have been hopeless, she realized, trying to wade through all of their notes and contrive a perfect potion. Snape, though, only melted one cauldron before he realized that he had left it brewing too long between two of the steps. After that mishap, however, he managed to perform perfectly and obtain a potion that at least looked like it should. The final test though, which always gave Hermione knots in her stomach, remained.

"Is that enough, are you sure…?"

"It's the same amount we always use, Miss Granger," Snape replied dryly. "Dear me, is someone nervous?"

"I don't like seeing things killed!" she retorted. "Even if it wasn't really a living thing to begin with," she conceded quietly.

"We'll wait and do this tomorrow," Snape said as he forced a small pipette full of the potion in the animal's mouth. Just to make sure we have enough mandrake root to last the full twelve hours, or close to. So," he checked his watch, "I'll be sure to perform the test by noon tomorrow and, should all things work out, we are done."

"How much more can we brew?" Hermione asked.

"Well, Albus secured ten vials for me. That should be enough to make, after we've multiplied the amount to something more realistic for the human body, enough for thirty people or so."

"Oh." Hermione's face fell slightly. "That doesn't really seem like that much."

"It's a start," Snape pointed out. "And Albus will continue to do his best to get me more tears. Bear in mind, the Order isn't going to be ready to just storm in on the Dark Lord. The potion will be useful in capturing some Death Eaters the next time they make a move on something the Order wants to protect. But we also need to remember that, until we find a definite weakness of the Dark Lord, the likelihood of actually killing him remains very slim."

Hermione thought about all of that silently. She then looked at her watch; it was nearly one in the morning.

"I should probably be going," she stated, "I promised Harry and Ron that I'd go to their Quidditch game tomorrow and it's at ten in the morning. Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, in fact." She smirked at him. "Can I come back after the game though to see how the test went and help you start brewing the rest of it?"

Snape nodded his assent. He then added, "If you and Draco are both able to come tomorrow evening, we can resume work on apparition. Though," he acknowledged, "you have it pretty well mastered in just the last month." Both had enough skill in occlumency to consistently block Snape every time. Draco was a little behind in apparition, but doing pretty well. Hermione had now successfully apparated every time for the last week and a half.

"I can come. I think Draco said he'd be able to work this weekend too." And with that, she grabbed her things and returned to his office to floo back to the Room of Requirement.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

"Slytherin retakes the lead, forty to thirty!" The new commentator's voice could be heard reverberating throughout the quidditch pitch. For the life of her though, Hermione could not remember the boy's name at all.

The game had been very back and forth over the last half hour, with no side having a clear advantage. Therefore, it would definitely fall to whoever caught the snitch to win. Harry and Draco were keeping their distance, Hermione noted. Both were circling above the game, waiting to detect any golden shimmer amidst the players down below.

Hermione was seated between Hagrid and Neville. Both were watching the game with decidedly more interest than Hermione felt she was showing, but then again, she had other things on her mind that she reckoned were a bit more important than quidditch. Bringing down Voldemort, for one.

The game continued back and forth for the next half hour until it was tied again at sixty. The entire crowd suddenly roared with excitement, however, as Draco went into a fast dive over near Gryffindor's goals. Harry was there in a flash on his firebolt, blocking Draco, since he himself had not yet seen the snitch. Draco tried to maneuver around him, but Harry proved to be too fast and kept placing himself between Draco and the general direction he figured the snitch was in. Eventually, he gave up and lost sight of the small, golden, walnut-sized ball and returned to circling above the players. Harry, however, stayed down near the goal posts, neatly dodged a bludger, and surveyed the pitch from that height.

Hermione's attention drifted again, reverting back to the game for the occasional goal, until the score reached ninety to eighty, Slytherin. She was beginning to get a bit restless, quidditch just wasn't very interesting to her. She decided that, after another half hour, she would just leave, two hours was plenty of time to devote to this game.

In another fifteen minutes, though, another roar of anticipation sounded through the crowd. This time, Harry had seen the snitch, and was currently accelerating quickly at a sharp angle up into the air. The roles were reversed though and, just as Harry had done to him, Draco headed quickly in that direction to look for the snitch himself or, if nothing else, head Harry off. This time though, Harry swerved sharply at the last second to avoid Draco and, combined with the sharp angle of his ascent, he lost his balance on his broomstick and toppled over the side.

There was a gasp from the spectators. Harry did not look particularly panicked though; he had easily managed to keep hold of the broom and had merely to swing his leg up over it again to regain his seat. In just another second though, Hermione realized what had startled the rest of the crowd so much.

A bludger was quickly approaching where the two seekers were still hovering in mid-air, one still hanging off his broomstick. And everyone on the pitch and in the audience had seen it except the one person still trying to regain his seat on his firebolt: Harry.

The two Gryffindor beaters were racing in the direction as fast as possible, but both had been on the opposite side of the pitch before they noticed anything. Harry was easily reachable by both Slytherin beaters, but they had little interest in stopping a bludger from taking out the Gryffindor seeker, even though in his current position, Harry would have no chance to dodge it and a bludger hit could easily lead to a severe injury and a fall from very far up.

Hermione stood up and grabbed her wand, but she realized there was nothing that could be done. He was too far away, and that was the game; injuries happened. She just hoped beyond hope that Harry wouldn't fall and have a similar situation from their third year. As she was anxiously gripping her hair amidst the screaming fans around her, she noticed something.

Draco, still hovering near Harry and avoiding the bludger himself, was yelling at the Slytherin beaters and pointing towards Harry. Both of them, two thuggish looking individuals, grinned at each other and guffawed, but made no move towards the two seekers. With a shout of rage, Draco turned face, plunged his hand in his robes, pulled out his wand, swished and pointed it at the bludger, and stopped the bludger in its track.

At that same moment, Harry pulled himself back onto his firebolt and found himself face-to-face with a bludger that seemed to be quivering angrily at being halted.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. All of that had happened in the span of just a few seconds, but it felt like ten minutes had passed, and she was sure Harry was going to be severely wounded.

Before anything else could happen, a whistle was blown, summoning all the players to return to the field below the pitch. Over the noise in the crowd, Hermione could just barely make out Madame Hooch's magically magnified voice as she announced:

"DUE TO THE ILLEGAL USE OF A WAND IN THE MATCH, SLYTHERIN IS DISQUALIFIED. GAME GOES TO GRYFFINDOR."

There were roars of outrage from everyone, players and spectators alike. Hermione was somewhat surprised to see Harry leading the argument from all the players, Slytherin and Gryffindor alike, to campaign to continue the match or have a re-match later.

Knowing the discussion would not be solved here and now, Hermione took this opportunity to slip out of the Gryffindor section of the stands and start heading back towards the school. She wanted to stay and talk to Harry and Ron, but there was no telling how long the players would be arguing with Madame Hooch and anyone else who claimed the game forfeit, and, besides, by the time that was done, more people would probably be flooding the field, making it impossible to find either of them.

Instead she headed quietly down to the dungeons, knowing no one would be around to be suspicious of her presence around Snape's office. She tapped on his office door once and let herself in quickly and then proceeded to knock on the door to his private quarters.

A few moments later, Snape opened the door and Hermione was nearly floored to see him looking almost…was it _happy_?

"It works then?" she asked eagerly, interpreting his expression as one of success and triumph.

He smirked. "Am I that easy to read?" he asked amusedly. "Yes," he answered, "it works entirely up to standards. We now have a complete recipe for a potion to block against the _Avada Kedavra_ curse."

Hermione felt tears well up in her eyes, but they were tears of happiness and fulfillment. She'd been helping with this for months now, since the summer, when he first asked her help with the time turner. And this…this was the beginning of the end for Voldemort. As long as they had this and he didn't…what could possibly stand in their way?

She was shook out of her reverie by Snape's next question. "How was the game?" he asked off-handedly.

"Like you care," she laughed. "Actually, quite interesting. Slytherin was disqualified when Draco used his wand in the middle of the game to stop a bludger…from hitting Harry." Snape looked up, surprised. "Yep. Harry overturned on his broomstick, was dangling by it trying to swing his leg back over it, and probably would have fallen or been concussed if that bludger had actually hit him. The Slytherin beaters were the only ones close enough to get the bludger and they refused, so Draco stopped it mid-air."

Snape sighed. "The rest of the house is going to just love him for that," he remarked dryly.

"Both teams were petitioning Madame Hooch for a re-match, I think," Hermione told him. "I couldn't sit there any longer though, after that, and left, so I don't know if they were granted one."

"I hope so, for everyone's sake," Snape said. "Slytherin will be furious to lose over something like that and Gryffindor is too proud not to win on their own merit."

Hermione laughed. "Sounds about right. Actually, I'm going to return to the common room to see if they're back," she said.

"You should floo," Snape warned her, "sounds like the throng is making its way down here."

Sure enough, the noise of hundreds of students could be heard above their heads and several making their ways down to the dungeons.

"I'll be back to help work on brewing the new potion in a couple hours. And work on apparition I suppose."

And she left to go find out if Gryffindor would replay or take the easy win.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

When she walked into the common room, she was met with loud roars of laughter which were aimed towards Ron, who was busy doing a reenactment of Harry hanging from his broom, completely oblivious to the approaching bludger. Harry was right alongside him, laughing with all the others. Hermione grinned and waved and approached them. She had asked another student in the corridor what the decision had been, and was informed that Madame Hooch had decided to hold a meeting later that week with the two teams to discuss the events and determine if a re-match was in order.

"Nice acrobatics, Harry," she laughed as she walked over. "When are you guys supposed to sit down with Hooch?"

"Ah, Monday night at our normal practice time," he told her. He shook his head and raised his voice. "I never thought I'd see the day…Draco Malfoy saves my life…someone pinch me!"

And the room dissolved back into hysterics. At some point, Hermione managed to inform Ron and Harry that she'd love to enjoy the post-game activities for a few hours, but then she just had to get some studying done and would probably be gone a lot of the night. Ron and Harry exchanged a look which Hermione interpreted as, 'there goes the bookworm, working on a Saturday night while everyone else is having fun.' She knew they didn't mean any harm by it though, and they soon began a house-wide game of exploding snap.

Several hours later, though, Hermione would wish she had interpreted that look as it was really meant.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

**A/N: Well, another 2 chapters in a 24 hour block. Woohoo me! **

**Bit of a cliffy…maybe…things shall spice up nicely in the next chapter…which I'm hoping will be done by Friday latest. But we shall see. **

**Review, my lovely readers!**

**Cheers!**


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: It all belongs to JK Rowling

**Disclaimer: It all belongs to JK Rowling. I'm just trying to keep a semblance of her characters in my writing. But I'm not making money off of it. **

**Chapter 24**

That night around 7, Hermione and Snape sat in Snape's office waiting for Draco to arrive so they could meet Remus and practice apparition again. They soon heard hurried footsteps which stopped outside the office door. There was a loud quick knock at the door.

Hermione and Snape looked at each other bewildered. Draco was supposed to walk right in. It must have been someone else outside the door. Snape began motioning for Hermione to retreat to the sitting room while he checked to see who wished to speak with him when someone spoke up.

"Severus!" Another knock. "Severus, I need to speak with you right away!" It was Professor McGonagall. Hermione returned to the sitting room but left the door open a crack so she could hear what was being said, in case she needed to floo back quickly. Snape waved his wand and the door opened. McGonagall rushed into his office and shut the door smartly behind herself.

Snape quickly detected her harried appearance and urgent persona.

"Good heavens, Minerva, what's happened?"

"Hermione Granger," McGonagall said breathlessly, "Is she here?"

"Minerva, what…?"

"Albus told me she might be down here!" she explained, "We can't find her."

Hermione began to feel dread growing in the pit of her stomach. Why had they been looking for her in the first place? Something must have happened. And she had a feeling she knew what it was. Why else would Dumbledore have sent McGonagall down here, knowing full well the necessity to keep the nature of her trips down here between as few people as possible?

Snape spoke slowly, and slightly on guard. "I am aware of her whereabouts and she is perfectly safe," he conceded. "Now where is Albus, and what's going on?"

McGonagall looked decidedly relieved upon hearing the first sentence Snape spoke. "Thank heavens," she murmured, and sank into a chair. "There's one fewer thing to worry about." She looked up at Snape. "Potter and Weasley are gone. We're pretty sure that they're in the hands of You-Know-Who by now."

The ensuing silence was deafening. Snape's eyes shot slightly in the direction of the cracked door he was positive Hermione was listening behind. Hermione's mind was racing a mile-a-minute. How could Ron and Harry have fallen into the hands of Voldemort? Could _they_ have been lured out of the castle. No, Hermione realized grimly. They didn't need to be lured. They were plenty eager to leave on their own. She thought back to their conversation from several weeks ago, their plan (abandoned, she thought) to take a secret excursion to Hogsmeade to get some snacks from Honeydukes and the Three Broomsticks. She thought about the look they'd exchanged earlier that day upon discovering that she would be working most the night. She'd interpreted it as a 'there goes the bookworm' look. But how could she have been so stupid? It had actually meant 'with her out of our hair, we can slip away unnoticed and be back in a jiff.' But that didn't necessarily mean…

She burst through the door to Snape's office and nearly scared McGongall out of her wits. She couldn't stay quiet anymore.

"Professor," she implored McGonagall, "they can't be in the hands of You-Know-Who, they just went to Hogsmeade. It's my fault, I should have told you they were planning to go, but I didn't think they'd go through with it, and I'd forgotten about it until just now, but…"

"Miss Granger," McGonagall held up a hand to silence her. "I'm afraid they _did_ go to Hogsmeade, we know that," she said gently, having quickly overcome her shock of seeing her there. "Madame Rosmerta came rushing up to the castle just a little bit ago to speak with Albus. When she was on her way to the Three Broomsticks, she happened across Potter and Weasley in a struggle with several Death Eaters. One was stunned and left behind, but she saw the rest apparate away with them. She sustained some minor injuries attempting to aid Potter and Weasley. She brought Mr. Potter's invisibility cloak back with her, she found it on the ground."

Hermione was speechless.

"Rosmerta said she saw no sign of you. Albus sent me to the Gryffindor common room to retrieve you and told me that, if you weren't there, you would likely be down here." Hermione started to speak, but McGonagall cut her off. "He said you two were working on a special project together and that, for now, I should leave it at that, so I will."

With that fear alleviated, Hermione's full sense of panic could focus on the situation at hand. This was possibly the most dangerous predicament Harry had ever landed himself in. This wasn't a newly reborn Voldemort, with few remaining Death Eaters at his command. This was Voldemort at full strength, dozens of loyal followers, and he had Harry and Ron.

She began breathing very quickly, hardly noticing the quiet conversation which was being carried on by Snape and McGonagall. Finally Snape looked up at her and stood up quickly.

"Miss Granger, you're white as death, sit down before you faint!" He guided her to a chair next to McGonagall, then seemed to realize just how hard this was hitting her. He leaned in close to her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Hermione, I swear to you that we are going to do all we can to get them back. We have a new strength the Dark Lord doesn't even know about, don't forget that. Have some faith."

Hermione nodded weakly, but was able to focus enough to comprehend the conversation Snape and McGonagall resumed.

"Where is Albus now?"

"He went to interrogate the Death Eater who was left behind," McGongall informed him. "He plans to use veritaserum, find out anything that will help us in the long run; particularly, he wants to know what You-Know-Who's plans are for them," she concluded grimly.

Snape shot a look at Hermione, who was beginning to look a little woozy. "Perhaps we should carry on this conversation after we've returned Miss Granger to her dormitory," he suggested lightly.

"No!" Hermione interjected quickly and loudly. "No," she repeated somewhat sheepishly at her outburst, "I want to know what's going on. Everything," she told Snape.

"Very well," he agreed. "What are the plans for informing the Weasleys and Potter's muggle relatives of the situation?"

"Remus has taken Ginny Weasley to the Burrow and he will let Arthur and Molly know what has happened. As for the Dursleys…well…" McGonagall trailed off.

"I think what the Professor means to say," Hermione suggested calmly, "is that Harry's aunt and uncle would much prefer that Harry not come back anyway and really wouldn't care if he were kidnapped, tortured, and killed by the most evil wizard in the world."

McGonagall nodded sadly in acknowledgement of the truth of this statement. "Perhaps not that far," she said, "but they certainly do not wish to be disturbed with news of this world of any kind."

"Nevertheless," Snape interjected smoothly, "they should be made-…" he cut off with a gasp, looking at his arm. The tattoo of the Dark Mark was burning angrily on the pale skin of his forearm.

"Find out what you can," McGonagall told him. "We might need all the help we can get on this one," she said grimly.

Snape nodded and turned to leave.

"Be careful," Hermione told him quietly. He shot her one last look before disappearing out of sight through the door, a look which Hermione read as 'don't do anything stupid while I'm gone.'

"Well, Miss Granger," McGonagall sounded very suddenly business-like as they walked out of Snape's office, "I am to go to meet up with the Order members we managed to wrangle at the last minute. Professor Dumbledore should be nearly done speaking with the prisoner. I hope you understand why I must ask you to return to your common room until further notification…"

"Nonsense!" Dumbledore himself came striding up behind them in the entrance hall. "Miss Granger has as much a right to be there tonight as anyone, she is _very_ concerned in this matter."

Hermione smiled gratefully at Dumbledore and followed the two of them to his office. There was a mess of people there, Lupin had returned with Arthur Weasley, and Kingsley, Tonks, Moody, Hagrid, Vance, and many others were speaking in quiet tones about the happenings of the past hour or so.

"Arthur," Dumbledore acknowledged him solemnly, "I am sorry to have to give your family this bad news. I hope Molly is holding up all right."

Mr. Weasley smiled grimly. "She's okay. She stayed home to wait for Bill, he couldn't get out of work yet, so she could tell him what's happened. Oh, Ronald," he muttered, "always walking right into trouble." He smiled weakly around the room.

"What do we know, Albus?" Lupin asked worriedly.

"Severus has been summoned," Dumbledore informed them all, "I'm hoping to learn more upon his arrival. However, I was able to question Nott under veritaserum and what little I learned might be of some help."

He ceased speaking while the door opened and Bill Weasley walked in. "Sorry," he said, "I just got the news from mum."

Dumbledore continued. "According to Nott, tonight's kidnapping was merely by chance. I think we are all familiar with Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley and their disregard for certain rules. Well, I'm afraid that this time, their innocent excursion led to their being spotted near the Hogs Head, when they were exiting the Three Broomsticks, before they managed to put the invisibility cloak back on. From there, the Death Eaters didn't have a hard time tracking them and taking them. The two put up a decent fight, from what I gathered from both Nott and Rosmerta, but they were just simply outnumbered."

"What about Voldemort's plans for them?" Moody asked gruffly. Hermione winced.

"Well," Dumbledore began slowly, "Nott wasn't too clear on the matter. Apparently, Voldemort has for weeks been angling to perform some kind of witchcraft ritual- Nott wasn't sure when- but he had not originally intended to include Harry or Ron in that."

Lupin frowned. "That's a bit odd, isn't it?" he asked. "With Voldemort's ego, he likes to use his greatest enemy usually for something like that. Did Nott know who he _had_ intended to kill for it?"

"He did." Dumbledore was then silent and seemed to ponder whether or not to expound upon his answer. Suddenly, Hermione understood.

"He wanted me, didn't he?" she asked quietly. Most of the room gasped in surprise, not having seen her talk in behind Dumbledore and McGonagall, and now she was standing unobtrusively in one corner, near Fawkes's perch.

"Hermione!" Lupin hurried over to her. "What are you doing here, shouldn't you…"

"I invited her, Remus," Dumbledore told him gently. "And I'm afraid she's correct. The original plan was to lure Miss Granger out of the school. Voldemort had already begun implementing a scheme using some students of Slytherin who have loyal parents to kidnap Miss Granger and deliver her to him."

"How do we know…?" McGonagall began to ask how they knew that, but Dumbledore cut her off.

"I have a reliable source within Slytherin House who has been keeping me regularly informed of the situation," he told them. "I'm sure why you all understand if I can not tell you outright who that is, the student would face quick death from Voldemort if word got out. Unfortunately though, perhaps our security was too lax for all other students, since we knew Miss Granger was a target."

Silence reigned once more. It was soon interrupted when footsteps could be heard rushing up the spiral stairs to the office. The door burst open and Snape stood there, looking out of breath and like he'd run all through the castle.

"Severus?" Dumbledore prompted him. There was no time for banter, time was essential.

After catching his breath, Snape explained all he knew.

"They are in no immediate life-threatening danger," Snape acknowledged. "And I've seen them, and they look a bit beaten up, but otherwise perfectly fine, strong, and spirited. I was called a few unpleasant names, though being masked, I can't be sure they knew it was me…" he reminisced briefly. "But Albus," he looked grave very suddenly, "he is planning to use them in a moon ritual."

There was a gasp around the room.

"What is a moon ritual?" Tonks asked.

Lupin answered. "They are ancient forms of witchcraft which hold different purposes, depending on the type. They generally serve to provide more power to the performer of the ritual, or perhaps a particular skill. Some require a type of sacrificial murder as well."

The atmosphere in the room was grim.

Snape spoke up again. "I think it's pretty assured that he plans on killing them. He's determined not to let Potter slip through his fingers once again. We do have one thing going for us though, and that is that he plans on waiting for the full moon, so we have two weeks to contrive a plan."

"What can we possibly hope to do?" Arthur implored. "Surely the place is so guarded and secret we could never hope to get into it!"

Snape nodded. "It is a _very_ secured building. Anti-apparition, every kind of ward you could expect, every security to keep them from escaping. He's taking no chances."

Lupin looked pensive. "I don't think we'll get them back by storming Voldemort's stronghold," he murmured. "This is an area where I feel like stealth will aid us more than strength."

Dumbledore spoke up. "Remus is right. We have a few…possibilities…" He left it ambiguously at that, though Hermione noticed his gaze sweep from her to Snape and back to Lupin.

Hermione's mind was racing. She had an idea. Something Lupin had said and made her begin to formulate the thought…but it would be tricky. She needed to talk to someone.

She had to find Draco Malfoy.

**A/N: :-D Sorry for the delayed post. Writer's block. :P **

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	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: It all belongs to JK Rowling

**A/N: I'm enjoying myself. I hope you are too. **

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**Chapter 25**

"Hermione, Severus, would you mind waiting a few minutes, I'd like to talk to you privately."

And so the two of them hung back to speak to Dumbledore as the rest of the Order filed out. Hermione was somewhat disheartened to learn that there wasn't a whole lot of offensive action that could be taken. They would have to rely primarily on information gained from spies within Voldemort's network to formulate any kind of rescue operation. She still wanted to speak with Malfoy though…and she needed to go to the library.

Dumbledore smiled sadly at Hermione as the room cleared. "I do apologize, Miss Granger. I know this isn't easy for you. But we do have time, and we're going to use these two weeks to do our best to get them back."

His gaze shifted to Snape.

"How is the progress with the potion the two of you have been so diligently working on for the last several months?"

For the first time, Dumbledore had a genuine smile with his signature eye-twinkle as Snape told him that the potion was as complete as it would ever be until an actual human tried it out, and that a sizeable quantity would be ready in five days.

"This is very good news, very good indeed," he acknowledged. "Well, I suggest the two of you get some sleep as best as you can," he told them. "We've done our absolute best to keep this quiet until now, but I imagine when the morning mail gets here, there will be students who are aware of the situation…" He didn't say which ones, but his meaning was understood. Slytherins who supported Voldemort. "And I need to go inform the minister of what has happened, before the news does become widely known."

Hermione and Snape left the office. "Shall I escort you back to Gryffindor tower?" Snape asked. Hermione shook her head.

"I'm going to the library."

Snape looked at her incredulously. "Hell of a time to be studying," he muttered.

"I'm not going to study!" Hermione turned to him harshly. "I want to find out everything I can about these 'moon rituals', especially ones around the full moon. We might be able to learn something that will help us."

Snape observed her quietly for a few moments. "You know you won't get them out by reading a book," he warned quietly, pulling her into an empty classroom. "Don't kill yourself over what's happened."

"It's my fault!" Hermione finally exploded. "I didn't tell anyone they wanted to go to Hogsmeade, I never warned someone to block off the secret passageways, making it that much easier for them to leave even when I told them not to!"

Snape grasped her shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes.

"It's not your fault." He said simply. "They are headstrong and foolhardy. You could not have stopped them short of locking them up, and you know it."

Hermione looked resigned and unconvinced. "In any case," she said, "I'm going to the library. Good night, professor."

"Miss Granger…should you be feeling in need of a cup of tea in the middle of the night if you are unable to sleep, I can assure you that I will most likely not be sleeping tonight either."

She smiled weakly at him. "Thank you, sir," she said quietly, and then slipped off towards the library. Snape continued on his way towards the dungeons.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

_Moon rituals, by their nature, must be performed on a clear night under the particular type of moon they warrant. Most importantly, however, no other magic should be in play while the ritual is being carried out; all protective wards, muggle-repelling charms, or any other type of magic must be ceased for the duration._

Having found exactly what she needed, Hermione highlighted this section, took the book, and hurriedly left the library. It was still fairly early, not even ten o'clock yet. She figured she could stay up a good few more hours reading everything she could. But not in the common room…the thought of someone asking her what she was reading and why…she couldn't bear to share the news, it would come as such a shock…

Instead, she made her way to the Room of Requirement. As she passed by the portrait leading into the kitchens, the most undesired group of people came around the next corner, doubtlessly heading towards the kitchens themselves to steal some food for the night. It was a very loud group consisting of several Slytherins; Malfoy was in the lead, followed by Parkinson, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, and some younger students whose names Hermione wasn't sure of. She desperately wanted to speak with Malfoy, but this was most definitely _not_ a possibility with all the others present.

"Granger!" Parkinson shrieked, drawing the attention of all the Slytherins to her. Malfoy gave her an odd look that was part shocked, part worried, part apologetic. "What are you doing up here this late at night, isn't it past your bedtime?" Some sniggers among the group. "Oh, and where are your dear bodyguards, Potter and Weasleby?"

"None of your business," Hermione snapped in her general direction, not daring to look directly at Draco anymore. She carefully concealed the book in the folds of her robes, anxious that they shouldn't see the title. The group of Slytherins reached the portrait and Draco tickled the pear. He then did something very uncharacteristic; he stepped back, held the portrait open, and allowed the rest of them to go in before him. Hermione realized what he was doing. He was buying just the briefest second during which he could communicate with her and no one else would notice.

"What's happened?" he mouthed as he prepared to enter the kitchen. Hermione shook her head.

"Room of Requirement," she mouthed back, hoping he would find a way to slip away from the group soon. He nodded, having understood the message, and joined the others from his house, raising his voice, and making a derisive comment about mudbloods.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

She had been there an hour already, absorbed in her book. She was getting weary though; worry was tying knots in her stomach, and she hadn't eaten since early in the day. She tensed as she heard footsteps pacing outside the room. The door opened, and Draco quickly entered and shut the door behind him. He hurried over to where she was sitting watching him.

"I'm sorry," he apologized for his late arrival, "Pansy…well, it took me a while to distract her long enough to leave her sight for more than two seconds."

"It's okay, I've been occupied," she gestured to the reading.

Following his apology, Draco's demeanor turned worried. "I was afraid…I thought the Dark Lord might have gotten you," he finally admitted. Hermione looked at him sharply.

"Why would you have thought that," she asked quickly. Could Lucius already have told him something…?

"I received a very short message from my father. It didn't give specifics, but basically hinted that 'our side' was guaranteed victory and the Dark Lord had obtained something he'd long been seeking. At least, that's how I interpreted it, it was a bit more cryptic than that. I was afraid it was you." He paused. "When I went to meet you in Snape's office after dinner, I ran into McGonagall rushing down there. I figured it wouldn't be safe to go in, so I waited an hour and tried again. By that time, no one was there. Hermione, what's going on?"

Hermione opened her mouth, but was suddenly choked up. She had maintained a relatively cool demeanor all night, but it was catching up with her. Noticing this, Draco quickly sat down next to her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hermione?" he asked quietly.

"Harry and Ron."

"I…what?' Draco was confused.

"He has Harry and Ron. Not me." Tears finally started pouring down her face, but they were silent, and she remained cool-headed.

Draco looked at her, fear beginning to etch its way across his face. "Oh, Merlin," he muttered. "Does anyone know… I mean, what is he…" he trailed off, unsure how to ask the question in a sympathetic manner.

"They're still alive," Hermione answered shortly. "Professor Snape has seen them. He says You-Know-Who wants to use them in some kind of killing ritual in two weeks. The one he originally wanted me for, it turns out," she concluded bitterly.

Draco let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Two weeks…I mean, that gives everyone some time…"

"Time to what?" Hermione asked him. "Storm You-Know-Who's stronghold?" She laughed derisively. "The Order is in shock and they won't admit it, but they have no idea what to do."

She suddenly adopted a much more business-like manner.

"I have a wild idea," she told Draco quietly. "It's something I've been forming in my mind for a couple hours now."

He looked at her suspiciously. "What?"

"Lure me out of the castle and take me to You-Know-Who."

Draco stared at her incredulously.

"You're insane!"

"No, hear me out. You capture me, everyone couldn't be happier. You-Know-Who can now get rid of all three of us in one fell swoop. But no one knows I know how to apparate, not even Harry and Ron, or that we learned occlumency. Now I've been reading about these rituals," she gestured to the book, "and they can't be performed in areas that are already magically enhanced, meaning any kind of anti-apparition ward must be let up for the duration of it." Draco was now more curious than he cared to admit. "You-Know-Who doesn't think that's a problem, apparition lessons for the sixth years haven't even started yet, no problem, he can let up the wards. But then I can get Harry and Ron and take them somewhere, out of You-Know-Who's reach." He was still looking at her with a stunned expression on his face. "Okay, I know it needs some work," she admitted, "but it's a better shot of saving them then attacking, don't you think?"

"You could be killed," Draco pointed out quietly. "What if he just decided he doesn't need you?"

Hermione started to open her mouth, then closed it again. Draco didn't know about the potion.

"That…is always a possibility," she conceded. "But I'd rather take that chance than sit around here coming up with ridiculous plans that could never work. Mine could."

"Do you know what they do to prisoners?" Draco asked her in a very high-pitched tone. "The only consolation that can usually be given to them is that they will die soon, and be free from the torture the Death Eaters inflict upon them! The stories I've heard from my father…" He shuddered at the memories. "I'm not just talking the _Cruciatus_ curse," he told her darkly. "No, that's much too simple for them. All kinds of curses, hexes and…rape."

"I considered that too," Hermione acknowledged quietly. "But there's something else to be considered. They all think Snape has been using me all year for that very purpose. And he told me once that there is something of an honor system among the Death Eaters, to respect the others'…_property_." She said the last word with contempt. But she was right, and Draco knew that. If Snape warned against it, she wouldn't be touched.

"You'd still be subjecting yourself to day after day of torture potentially," he implored her.

She shook her head. "I told you I've been reading about the rituals," she pointed out the page she had been on. "The idea of them is to feed off the power that escapes the dead sacrifices, thereby increasing one's own power. He'll want us as strong as possible just to make himself stronger."

Draco continued to stare at her. She was crazy, but what was even more disturbing than that…she just might be on to something.

"Maybe," he conceded. "But I'm not going to agree to anything…_anything…_until we talk to Professor Snape. There _has_ to be another way, a better way than…_that_." But he wasn't even positive of that himself. Few people escaped the Dark Lord. And everything Hermione had laid out for him made sense. More sense than he cared to admit.

"Then let's go talk to him," Hermione declared.

"He's going to _kill_ us for even suggesting it," Draco muttered. But they both approached the fireplace and grabbed a handful of floo powder that had just appeared, ready to speak with Snape.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

**A/N: Yay climactic chapters that are approaching. :) **

**Let me know your thoughts! **

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	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: It all belongs to JK Rowling

**A/N: So, with no further ado…**

**Disclaimer: All Rowling's…sad for the rest of us, I know. :P **

**Chapter 26**

"You're daft."

Hermione let out an exasperated sigh, though she'd known Snape wouldn't be thrilled at the prospect. Draco sat silently in the corner, thinking, but not saying much either way about the idea.

"Professor, _please_, you have to let me do this," Hermione implored him. "It's the only way to get them out in that little time."

"And as an expert in Defense Against the Dark Arts and knowledge of the Dark Lord, _you're_ the one I'm going to listen to about that matter," Snape retorted snidely. He then softened up a little. "Look, Miss Granger, I'm not doubting that, if everything went just so, it could work. But you've never practiced side-along apparition, let alone with two other people, and the chance of serious harm coming to you before you could even reach Potter and Weasley is significant. I understand that you're feeling hopeless right now," he said understandingly, "but the Order is not entirely useless, and it does have other inside sources besides myself."

"What are they going to do?" Hermione would not relent. "Just grab Harry and Ron and go?"

"You've never come face-to-face with the Dark Lord!" Snape was adamant. "You would be paralyzed with fear, unable to guard your mind, let alone apparate! And I'll be damned if I send you to your death over some delusions of grandeur of actually defeating him!"

"I'm not trying to defeat him!" Hermione insisted. "Once I'm there, his ego will be too big to just kill me on the spot and you know it! He'll wait the two weeks to kill us all at once, and I already explained how simple it would be to get away once he began the ritual. I read all about it."

Snape considered her for a minute. Silence reigned supreme in the room until Hermione almost couldn't stand it any more. Finally, Snape spoke.

"Draco, would you mind giving me and Miss Granger a moment alone."

"Of course, sir," he replied quietly, and left, going to sit in Snape's office until summoned once more into the sitting room.

Neither one spoke. Hermione was becoming more and more tense with each passing second, waiting for Snape to either explode or…well, she couldn't think of too many alternatives.

"Sir?"

"You know Dumbledore would never go through with it," he told her. "He takes the safety of his students most seriously, and would rather see a voluntary member of the Order risk their life than a seventeen-year-old girl."

Hermione nodded. "I do know that, sir," she acknowledged. Snape raised a questioning eyebrow. "Which is why we don't tell him." She had won Snape over, she could tell. He was grasping for anything now to poke a hole in her theory. But she was right.

"You're suggesting an act that could jeopardize Draco's entire academic career if it goes wrong, as well as his life, if the Dark Lord sees through the ploy." He paused for a few seconds, considering something. "It's also possible that the Dark Lord will wish to bestow Draco immediately with the Dark Mark as a 'reward' for a job well done. No Death Eater could get you and he does…he would be most pleased."

"No one knows Draco learned how to apparate either," Hermione told him quietly. "If they saw him do it, people might begin to ask how and why he learned it, which could get tricky. He'd have to arrange a rendez-vous anyway, in Hogsmeade, or the forest, somewhere that a Death Eater could meet him and take me to You-Know-Who. And then Draco could slip back into the castle unnoticed, hopefully. Only the three of us would ever fully know the story."

"Professor Dumbledore would see right through what had happened!"

"It will be too late by then," she pointed out. "And he can do his best to deter suspicion from any students, play it off like I was stupid and got myself caught."

"No one would believe that," Snape said wryly. "And besides, other Slytherin students would probably find out and wonder why Draco didn't tell them, or include them in the scheme."

Hermione sighed again. "Give me a couple days to work that out with him," she was almost pleading now. "Please, sir, I want to do this."

Snape groaned. "I'm going to be fired on the spot," he muttered.

"But you know I'm right," Hermione said quietly.

"I do," he admitted, "but only because I have hope that the potion, which you haven't mentioned yet, I assume for Draco's sake, will provide any needed additional protection."

"I can't just waltz in with a vial of that in my pocket though," Hermione said ruefully. "I had thought about the potion, but then I realized there would be no way to take it with me."

"Nonsense," Snape told her. "I'll provide you with some once you're already there."

"Would you really- wait, once I'm already there? You mean you'll help me do it?" Hermione was ecstatic.

"I will," Snape conceded. "But give me three days." Hermione opened her mouth to protest, but Snape stopped her. "We need to contrive the most convincing scenario in which you would be lured from the grounds or kidnapped, or whatever. And I need some time to ensure you are ready." Hermione did not like the slightly ominous tone with which he said that. But she was happy. She would go save Harry and Ron.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

Hermione stepped into the green flames and was sucked away through the fireplaces of Hogwarts, coming to a stop at the usual one: Snape's office.

She barely took a step out of the fireplace, looking down to dust off her robes, when a dark figure appeared before her, grabbed her, and shoved her against the wall. She shrieked, or tried to, before realizing that a silencing charm had been used already to keep her quiet.

A rough hand grabbed her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. Hermione felt the attempted penetration of her mind begin, and she worked desperately to block him out. A few thoughts slipped away, she could tell. But she managed to calm herself enough to form a complete barrier in her thoughts. She also was finally calmed down enough to realize that, behind the Death Eater mask, was Professor Snape.

As she reached this conclusion, she was released and he removed the mask, as well as the charm keeping her quiet.

"You need to do better than that," he admonished her.

"I'm doing my best, _sir_," she ground out.

Snape looked at her in surprise. "A bit touchy, no?" he said lightly. "You need to be prepared for anything the Dark Lord might throw your way. If you get insulted and petulant at being man-handled and roughed up a bit, I'm afraid you won't last very long."

Hermione opened her mouth to retort but then closed it. He was right.

They had talked with Draco the day before. He wasn't exactly comfortable with the scheme, but he was willing to go through with it in order to help them. They had decided that Draco should take another student with him as a witness to the event, one smart enough to take part in the plan, but level-headed enough to not use any unnecessary force to hurt Hermione. They'd decided Blaise Zabini was the logical conclusion. He supported the ideas of Voldemort, but was not himself as directly involved as Draco.

Draco would write his father and tell him to meet them near the Shrieking Shack. He wouldn't say why, but that it was very important and to his benefit to show up on time. If anyone asked, Draco devised a plan to come running to Hermione during prefect rounds, saying he needed help near the greenhouses, a couple of students had sneaked in and hurt themselves on some of the more dangerous plants. Once they reached the safety of darkness, she would be petrified and taken around a back path of Hogsmeade which bypassed the busy sections and led to the Shrieking Shack.

They had one more day. Tomorrow night, this plan would be carried out. Snape's mission was to make sure that Hermione could stand up to anything the Death Eaters or Voldemort could throw at her. And all the meanwhile, they had to keep the plan secret from Dumbledore and anyone else at the school. Which was increasingly difficult with each passing day because word had gotten out finally about Harry and Ron, and Snape was continuously summoned to talk with the Order and once to meet Voldemort. He once again saw Harry and Ron, and Hermione was relieved to hear that they were relatively unharmed.

"I have to tell you something, Miss Granger."

Hermione was surprised at Snape's tone. He sounded, not just serious, but worried, something he very rarely let others see.

"Sir?"

"I cannot guarantee you that no one will touch you if I am not there." Hermione looked at him somewhat blankly. "The Dark Lord has the ultimate say over the treatment of anyone held at his 'headquarters.' I can not promise anything when I am not there to claim my 'property.'"

Hermione nodded and swallowed thickly. It hadn't occurred to her, but it didn't surprise her either.

"There are more important things at stake here," she told him simply. "I won't be killed. Anything else will just be a minor inconvenience in my path to rescue Harry and Ron."

It sounded naïve and simplistic. But Snape looked at her face and her resolute nature, and he knew she understood exactly what she was getting herself into.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

"Move it, Zabini!"

They had her. Draco almost couldn't believe what he was doing, sneaking out of the school grounds, kidnapping a friend, delivering her to the most evil wizard who ever lived. But here he was, awkwardly helping Blaise Zabini transport a petrified Hermione Granger to the Shrieking Shack to meet his father in ten minutes. And they were running a bit behind.

He had to give Hermione credit. She had played her role most convincingly, even when it was just the two of them, Zabini waiting outside to ambush her. And she had put up quite the fight, for Zabini's sake. She'd nearly hexed Draco, but he'd dodged it and finally managed to cast the _petrificus totalus_ charm on her, immobilizing her. He took her wand and off they crept through the dead of night.

They moved fairly quickly, carefully avoiding Hagrid's hut and that blasted barking dog of his, down the path to Hogsmeade.

As they approached the Shrieking Shack, no one was in sight.

"You said your father was supposed to take her from here, right?" Zabini seemed unsure. Draco was desperately hoping he hadn't chosen the one Slytherin who would get cold feet about delivering a friend of Harry Potter's to the Dark Lord.

They weren't long disappointed, however. Soon enough, a crack rent the air, and the tall, imposing figure of Lucius Malfoy stood before the two boys.

"Well now," he said in a light voice, "what have we here?" He looked into Hermione's eyes, which we're locked open because of the spell. "Draco, you don't disappoint," he said approvingly. "The Dark Lord shall be most pleased. _Finite Incantatem_."

Hermione leapt forward but was quickly subdued, surrounded by three strong people with wands, being wandless herself. Lucius got a firm grip on her arms and pinned them behind her back, which rendered her almost immobile.

"Now now, Miss Granger, let's not use up all our strength now. It is going to be a long night for you, I daresay." He turned his attention to the two boys. "No one has seen you?"

"No," Draco answered, "it went flawlessly."

"Good, good," Lucius murmured, eyeing Hermione up and down. "Return quickly, try not to be caught, okay?"

With no further ado and one last, long look at Hermione, Draco turned and quickly headed back up the path with Zabini. His father was ruthless. He hoped she'd be alright.

He didn't have long to worry over that, however. A loud voice rang out from behind them as they rejoined the main path.

"Wat er the two of ye doin' out at a time like dis?"

It was Hagrid. And there wasn't much they could do. He had already recognized them by the light of the large lantern he carried in one hand. Draco groaned. Perhaps Dumbledore would know what had happened sooner than they'd hoped.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

**A/N: Well, she's in the clutches of Lucius now…dum dum dum!!**

**I'm really trying to get this done quickly. I start a job at a camp next week and I don't know how long it'll be until I have internet access again! :-O**

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	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: It all belongs to JK Rowling

**Disclaimer: You know how it goes**

**Chapter 27**

Hermione was thrust forward and down on her knees in front of Voldemort. He chuckled, if you could call it that. It was a mirthless sound, full of malice and contempt. When he spoke, it sent chills down her spine. What had she gotten herself into?

"Stand up, girl."

She was incapable of disobeying the command. Instead, she focused all her energy in one thing: shielding her most private thoughts from him, the ones that would jeopardize everything the Order had worked for, everything she had worked for. Ones that would reveal Professor Snape, or Draco, and what they really stood for.

As Voldemort glared at her, she used a little trick Snape taught her at the last minute; rather than completely shield her mind, a type of permeable barrier could be used and, if used properly, only specific thoughts and memories could be shared. She let her fear work for her, and concentrated on being seized, handed over to Lucius, and brought here. Enough to satisfy Voldemort that she wasn't using occlumency and was merely a terrified teenager.

"Draco has done well, Lucius," Voldemort said approvingly in his slithering tone.

Lucius Malfoy bowed his head. "Thank you, my lord," he said placidly, "I shall be sure to pass on your praise, he will be most proud. As am I," he added.

"Indeed," Voldemort looked at Hermione appraisingly. "Perhaps we shall _reward_ him later." Hermione shivered at his tone. She had a feeling that she knew what that meant. Just what Draco had warned her about. The irony of it was almost too much.

"What shall I do with the girl in the meantime?" Malfoy asked.

Voldemort seemed to consider that. Hermione stood in fear with bated breath. This was the moment of truth; the entire mission depended on his answer. If he wanted her dead here and now…or if he gave her to Malfoy…she shuddered at that prospect. But it was most important that she be kept alive and the three were reunited before their deaths. It was the only way.

"Yes, we shall put her with the others," Voldemort finally hissed. "It will make Potter suffer that much more, knowing he has brought yet another friend down with him, I would hate the loss of chance to inflict pain upon him." He turned his head almost imperceptibly. "Wormtail!"

Hermione's eyes narrowed as Peter Pettigrew, known as 'Wormtail' in Voldemort's ranks, stepped forward from a spot where he had obviously been listening in to the goings-on.

"Take Miss Granger here," he said her name in a mocking tone, as if he thought a 'mudblood' like herself didn't so much as deserve that title, "down to be with her friends. I'm sure they will be most anxious to see her and include her in their escape plans." Laughter from Malfoy and Pettigrew. "Oh, and Miss Granger?" She turned involuntarily to look at him. "Do be sure to assure them that their plan would never work, especially not now that the rest of us have heard it." Hermione glared as Pettigrew grabbed her arm and, wand trained steadily at her, led her forcefully down the steps of the building to a windowless, underground level.

She wouldn't let it show, but her anxiousness to see Harry and Ron finally was pushing greatly on her mind. She tried not to let it show and instead, appeared as unhelpful and determined to get away as she could. Finally, Pettigrew had enough and turned, pointed his wand at her, and bound her hands together with rope. Another rope affixed itself to it, and he used it as something of a leash to pull her forward.

They reached a locked room with a guard standing outside of it. Hermione didn't recognize the Death Eater, but suspected, due to the burly figure, that it was a relative of Goyle or Crabbe. The guard raised his wand and pointed it at the door, which swung slowly open. Pettigrew magically released her from her bonds, gave her a sneering smile, and shut the door.

Hermione found herself in a small room that was surprisingly un-cell-like. It was windowless and bare, but it had two beds in it and a chair and desk. Perhaps Voldemort had thought it kind to leave paper and ink to leave their parting messages. But Hermione couldn't be bothered enough to go look, because she was too busy staring at the two figures in the beds. Both were sound asleep and looked dirty and bruised. But they were sleeping and she figured it best not to wake them.

They were going to be furious when they saw her, she realized. Furious at themselves, furious at whoever caught her, furious she let herself get caught. Hermione smiled ruefully in spite of herself. If only she could explain everything to them. But that was obviously not at option. Neither had the slightest grasp of occlumency, neither knew a thing about Snape or Malfoy, and the room was obviously being magically bugged, since Voldemort seemed to know everything that they had said for the past few days they'd been here.

It suddenly struck Hermione just how long she would be here. Nine days until the night of the full moon. She settled herself in the chair and watched Harry and Ron sleep. She could tell that she would be getting on sleep tonight.

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Albus Dumbledore peered over his half-moon spectacles at the figures of Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini. Hagrid had brought them up a few minutes ago and Dumbledore wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation. He knew young Malfoy to be truly against Voldemort, but something in his countenance screamed wrong-doing. He looked ashamed and worried. Zabini, on the other hand, looked scared at having been caught, but not bothered in the way Draco did. Perhaps Draco had succumbed to his father in some way, aided Voldemort, passed along information…but that didn't quite seem right. What he did understand, however, was that he needed to speak to Draco without Zabini present.

"I see little harm done, though I must warn all students against being out past curfew and venturing to the village in the night, I think recent events have shown us that is an unwise journey to be making." He looked somber, and Draco could tell what he was doing; he wanted to free himself of Zabini so he could question Draco alone. And sure enough…

"Therefore, I think it's best if you both go to bed, and we'll speak with Professor Snape in the morning about what he feels the best line of action to undertake from here would be."

Zabini rose hurriedly and began to make for the door. Draco looked unsurely at Dumbledore, who nodded and motioned for him to follow Zabini. He left the office slowly, knowing he needed to speak with Professor Snape.

When they reached the dungeons, Malfoy told Zabini that he was planning to stay up in the common room for a while and would be up to the dormitory later. Once he'd disappeared, however, Malfoy made for the door and quickly entered Snape's office down the corridor. He rapped gently on the door to Snape's private quarters, not wanting to wake him, though he suspected that Snape would not sleep tonight.

The door opened and Draco opened his mouth to speak but shut it again quickly. Rather than Snape, he had come face-to-face with Professor Dumbledore, who smiled knowingly.

"I rather thought I'd be seeing you again very soon, Mister Malfoy," Dumbledore said, whose voice seemed to tell him that he knew they'd been up to something without his approval.

Snape was standing further back in the room, resting his hands against the back of the sofa. He looked into Malfoy's eyes and seemed to read everything he needed to know. He sighed quietly, and spoke up.

"You're right, Albus, of course, Draco and Blaise Zabini left the grounds to meet with Draco's father."

So Dumbledore had already shared his suspicions with Snape, Draco realized.

"And with what purpose?" Dumbledore asked in a voice that reminded Draco why this old man was the most respected wizard in the world.

Snape looked at Draco again, unsure whether or not to tell the truth now or wait the few hours until Minerva noticed she was gone. It was Draco, however, who confessed.

"We delivered Hermione Granger to him, sir," he said quietly.

Draco had never seen Dumbledore speechless before this moment. "I see," he finally said slowly. "And who's idea was this?"

"Hers, sir," Draco informed him.

"And you signed off on this, Severus?" Dumbledore seemed to know exactly what the plan was without it being explained.

"She's been adequately prepared," Snape told him. "I was sure of that first."

"You could have sent her to her death," Dumbledore said quietly.

"That's what we both tried to tell her," Snape said. "She was adamant. If we hadn't helped her, she would have found a way to do it on her own." He looked carefully at Dumbledore. "She can do this, Albus," he said confidently. "She's ready and determined, and people will go to great lengths for the lives of their friends."

"I hope for your sake that you're right," Dumbledore sighed. "And hers."

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News spread like wildfire the next day the Hermione Granger had also gone missing and was probably in the hands of Voldemort. Snape pulled Malfoy and Zabini aside and gave them a firm lecture about how Dumbledore was unable to prove it was either of them but he was looking into it even further. McGonagall was livid, and trying to figure out how Gryffindor's brightest student could have just disappeared from the school. The Weasleys were even more heart-broken to learn that she, too, had gone missing. True to the plan, however, no one but Snape, Draco, and Dumbledore knew what the final goal was.

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At about eight, Ron began to stir.

"Hermione, you're not s'posed to be in…" Ron's voice trailed off as his mind worked to catch up with his sleepy self. Hermione turned suddenly as he spoke, and Ron, finally realizing where he was and that Hermione was there too, gave an outraged shout, which woke Harry, who fell out of bed.

"What! What is it?" He stumbled upright and looked at Ron who was staring slack-jawed at Hermione. Seeing her, Harry just looked sad.

"Got you too, huh?" he asked.

With great theatrics, Hermione explained what had happened, being tricked into going to rescue a student from a deadly plant in the greenhouses and delivered to Lucius, who brought her here. She assured them that she was alright, though she felt a bit stupid, and expressed great pleasure at seeing them okay.

"Look, Hermione, we feel really bad," Ron admitted to her. "You warned us not to go to Hogsmeade, we didn't even stop to think about it, and…" Hermione cut him off.

"Really, it's a little late, don't worry about it. But you should know, they can hear everything you two say in here, they must have the place magically bugged." Harry and Ron looked at each other in alarm.

"You mean…?"

"Yes, they heard however it was you were planning to escape, so don't even bother, they were laughing about it last night before they threw me down here too."

There was silence. No one seemed willing to talk, now that they all knew they were being constantly listened to. Finally, Harry spoke up.

"So, erm, how's school?" he asked wryly. Hermione looked at him open-mouthed and just burst into laughter. Ron and Harry joined in with their chuckles, until they were all abruptly cut off as the door opened.

The guard (a different one from last night, Hermione noted), stepped inside and room. "Someone's here to see you," he said maliciously in Hermione's direction. She sat paralyzed, terrified of just who wanted to see her specifically.

A tall figure stepped into the room and glared into her eyes. It was Snape. He began to stalk towards her and continued trying to pry into her mind. A test, she realized, to see if she really was holding up under the pressure. She played the part and glared right back at him, working her best to show hatred in every line of her face.

He reached her and raised a hand to her face. Out of reflex, she pushed it away, not wanting Harry and Ron to see. She was not prepared for the slap that followed. It stung horribly. She put her hand to her face and touched it gingerly, breathing hard, not quite believing what had just happened. Snape had hit her.

"Now, now, Miss Granger," he said snidely, "I thought we'd gotten past this by now." Hermione didn't know what to say. He was putting on a blatant performance…why? So Harry and Ron would think he was truly evil? So the other Death Eaters would? She wasn't sure. Looking at him with tears welling up in her eyes, she could see that his eyes did not hold anger towards her, just worry.

"I'm…I'm sorry, sir," she whispered, barely loud enough to be heard. But everyone did hear it, in the small room.

Snape turned abruptly, satisfied, and made to leave. Harry, however, spoke first.

"Snape," he hissed. "Just wait until Dumbledore finds out about you…just wait. I knew you were evil all along." Snape did not respond, but turned one last time to speak to Hermione.

"I'll be back for you later."

He left, shutting the door with a smart snap behind him. Hermione sat down and remained motionless as Harry's and Ron's inquiring eyes peered at her.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

**A/N: Agh! **

**Review, cuz you love me! **

**I'm trying so hard to get this done soon, I really am!**

**Cheers!**


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: It all belongs to JK Rowling

**A/N: Sorry for the wait…but when working at a summer camp, computer time is rather limited. :p **

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Shame. **

**Chapter 28**

"Erm…Hermione?"

Her mind raced a mile-a-minute. What could she possibly say? She couldn't explain the ruse, not with Voldemort listening in to all of their conversations. And if she played out the part and they got away, they'd murder Snape the instant they next saw him. Not to mention the fact that if they got away _and_ Hermione had told Harry and Ron, Voldemort would know it was a lie when Snape went back to Hogwarts and there were no repercussions. Or he could kill him on the spot, knowing he could be of no further use as a spy. That was obviously out of the question. So Hermione decided to go for the 'oh, he just has to act like that for You-Know-Who's sake' role, but still being timid enough about it to be convincing to the Death Eaters.

"I'm just as lost as you two are," she said shortly, without meeting their gazes.

"But…I mean…has he done…that…to you before?" Harry's voice was full of concern and it broke Hermione's heart not to be able to explain to him exactly what had happened. "Because what he said…"

"Oh, Harry, I'm sure he's just being convincing to the rest of them," she said, a little too quickly. "Anyway, we shouldn't talk about it, they can hear us."

"But-…"

"Please, Ron, Harry, can we just sit and be quiet for a minute?" Hermione snapped, a bit more harshly than she'd intended.

They said nothing, and Hermione's guilt increased. She was desperate now to get them free, to be able to finally explain everything that had happened since last summer. But they still had several days until the full moon.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

Snape breathed a sigh of relief. She had played it just perfectly.

"You have her trained most impressssively," Voldemort informed him approvingly. "Even under their imminent death, she refuses to give you up. The boys are dolts if they don't see the truth, however."

"They _are_ dolts, my lord," Snape informed him. "The girl is the only reason they've both made it to their sixth year. Without her, Potter would have been dead long ago, and Weasley would have failed his first year exams."

"Severusss…you should be more careful, you almost sound admiring of the girl," Voldemort sounded amused.

"I always admire an impressive mind and talent, my lord, surely you know that by now," Snape groveled, and Voldemort bought it all. "Even when they belong to a mudblood. Pity, really."

Voldemort pondered this. "If she is really as talented as you say she is, it would be such a shame to dispose of her so early, don't you think?"

Snape froze. What did he have in mind? If she was not brought to be killed with Potter and Weasley, it would jeopardize the entire plan to save them.

"My lord," he said carefully, "she would never be turned, she is too loyal to Dumbledore and Potter."

"Ah, do not assume, Severusss," Voldemort hissed. "You have already proved her to be weak-willed and easily bent to another's bidding. All we would need to do is break her spirit and everything else should fall into place."

"You are right, as always, my lord," Snape bowed his head, wondering how they were to get out of this one.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

"Come in, please."

Lucius Malfoy walked into Albus Dumbledore's office, escorted by Professor McGonagall.

"Thank you, Minerva," Dumbledore smiled at her, eyes twinkling at her look that said 'this is going to be trouble.' She grimaced in return and turned and left the room.

"What can I do for you, Lucius?"

Malfoy gave Dumbledore an over-dramatic, pitying look. "Dear me, Professor, you've lost quite a few students in the last week, from what I understand. Unfortunate business, I must say."

Dumbledore said nothing, but continued eyeing Malfoy up and down, eyebrow raised.

"Which students were they again, that went missing?" Malfoy asked. "The names seem to have escaped my memory…" Now he was just taunting him and trying to get a rise.

"I daresay, Lucius, you know exactly which three students they are and if not, that is the school's business, not yours. Was there any other point to this visit besides your condolences?"

"Of course. In light of all of these missing students, I'm afraid that I don't quite feel comfortable with my son being a student here right now. I would like to bring him home by the end of today. Just for a week or two, you understand, until all of this nonsense has settled down."

Dumbledore's expression darkened almost imperceptibly, but just enough for Lucius to notice. "Of course, Lucius, it is entirely at your discretion to take Draco out of Hogwarts for as long as you see fit, but have you asked him whether he desires to leave or stay?"

Malfoy didn't answer. Instead, he turned to leave and, at the door, called back, "I shall return this evening to retrieve him, please see that he is ready to depart."

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

Upon his arrival back at Hogwarts, Snape's first stop was the headmaster's office. Before he could relay the latest concerns regarding the situation with the captured three, Dumbledore informed him of Lucius's plan to remove Draco from school for a while.

"A week or two?" Snape asked. "Sounds like he wants him around for the ritual. He might even want to go so far as to secure the dark mark for Draco now; the Dark Lord will be eager to reward for the capture of Granger."

Dumbledore sighed. "I was afraid of that," he admitted. "But still, Voldemort," Snape flinched, "would be crazy to allow the mark to be given to someone still in school, under my very nose, not if he truly values that individual as a follower."

"But as far as he knows, Draco has surpassed every other Death Eater by succeeding where so many have failed. Maybe he isn't concerned about it; he also believes that Draco has done it while evading detection from within the school. If such were the case, the mere matter of hiding the dark mark would be simple."

"In any case," Dumbledore said sadly, "we must make a decision, with Draco's help of course. We can allow Draco to go home with Lucius, knowing he might be forced into the dark mark or death. The other option would be to hide him. Today."

Snape thought this over carefully. "Which would reveal his loyalties to everyone and essentially sentence him to death if he's found."

"It's a terrible choice that he'll have to make, but it needs to be made quickly in case any preparations need to be made."

"I will retrieve him and we can talk. But I'm pretty sure I already know what he'll say…"

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

"Absolutely not."

"It's just something to consider Draco, the possibility that Voldemort will want to give you the dark mark-,"

"I won't sit around in hiding, not while Hermione's risking her life in an attempt to save her friends!" Draco said very exuberantly.

"You won't be able to do anything for her," Snape warned.

"Well if the Dark Lord suspects I'm not loyal to him, won't he wonder why I gave her over to him in the first place?"

Silence reigned for a few terse moments.

"He's right, Albus," Snape finally muttered. "It would give her away in a heartbeat, he'd know she's up to something, and that the capture was orchestrated."

Draco looked imploringly into both of their faces. "Professors, everyone else is doing their part. Let me do mine."

Dumbledore looked at him gravely. "Of course the decision is yours, Draco. We're just looking out for your best interests. If you're positive, you may go begin packing your things, your father is returning sometime this evening to retrieve you."

With a quick nod in each of their directions, he was gone.

"I'll have to talk to the Order," Dumbledore told Snape, "everyone should be aware of Draco's true loyalties in the event that he is to receive the dark mark. Will you call as many together that you can as soon as possible?"

"Of course, headmaster," Snape murmured. "But I'm afraid I have some further news which might complicate Granger's scheme."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "We are essentially trusting the fate of the Wizarding world in the hands of a girl who is barely of age," he sighed. "So I suppose that doesn't really surprise me. What's happened?"

"The Dark Lord has considered not killing her. All he's heard of her abilities, he finds it a shame. He's thinking about trying to turn her and use her."

Dumbledore frowned. "A muggleborn? But yes, it makes sense. He can see much of himself in her, as he did with Harry. Has he said how he plans to use her yet?"

"No, it was merely mentioned. But if she isn't present at the ritual, all the plans go out the window."

Dumbledore considered this for a moment. His eyes sought on Snape's. "Severus, there is a contingency that I think we need to start preparing for. It is a last resort, but we should definitely begin considering it. Harry's survival is essential to the future of the Wizarding world as we know it."

"You think I may have to abandon my post as a spy to save Potter's life?"

"Like I said, it is a last resort, but should it go ill with Miss Granger…" He let the sentence dangle questioningly.

"And what of Weasley and Granger?" Snape asked trying to sound nonchalant. But the thought that one student's life was more important than another's was jolting, especially coming from Dumbledore.

"If the situation were to arise, they would be secondary."

Snape nodded tersely and turned to leave. Dumbledore watched him go sadly, desperately hoping that everything turned out all right for the three young Gryffindors.

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"I don't think I understand, Albus," Arthur said slowly. "Is nothing being done to retrieve Ron, Harry, and Hermione from You-Know-Who? Three days have gone by since Hermione disappeared, Ron and Harry have been there almost a week, and we've really done nothing that I can see."

"I apologize, Arthur," Dumbledore acknowledged him sadly, "I should have kept you better informed until now. However, now I shall tell you, a plan is in action from the inside. For obvious reasons, I can tell you little more than this, but our best hope will not lie in strength or numbers today, but in secrecy and cleverness."

"What do we know of their condition?" Bill Weasley spoke up from a corner of the room. Snape answered him steadily.

"All are in good health," he informed the relieved Order, "the Dark Lord has little interest in sapping their strengths as he usually would, and thus, they are spared some of the usual…activities…one might encounter as a _guest_ of the Dark Lord."

"One further point of order," Dumbledore interjected after him, "is a small situation which has arisen here at Hogwarts. Lucius Malfoy came last night to take Draco home under pretenses of fearing for his safety in light of the missing students."

Moody spoke up gruffly at that. "Well obviously he wants him to be part of Voldemort's ultimate plan for domination of the Wizarding world. He can't actually think we'd believe him and his 'fear for Draco's safety.'"

"Severus and I concurred with your assessment, Alastor," Dumbledore informed him. "But it's more complicated than that."

"How so?" McGonagall spoke up.

"Draco has been a silent supporter of our side for a couple of months now," Snape said quietly, "and he did his best to inform us about anything his father mentioned in his letters which might be relevant. If Lucius, much less the Dark Lord, finds out, Draco will be dead in an instant."

The room was in silent shock for a few seconds. Of any of the Slytherin students to turn against their parents, Draco was the last that any of them suspected.

"We are unsure," Snape continued, "if Lucius intends for Draco to receive the Dark Mark; it seems a risky venture while Draco is still in school. But if he does, it is vital that everyone know and trust his real loyalties."

Finally another voice spoke up.

"But sir, Professor Dumbledore?" Hagrid boomed out from the opposite side of the room. "I'm da one 'oo caught young Malfoy and Zabini comin' back from 'ogsmeade the same night that 'ermione went missin.' I thought 'ee was s'pected of 'elping You-Know-Oo kidnap 'er!"

Dumbledore and Snape exchanged uneasy looks. Perhaps they would have to reveal more about the plan than they intended after all.

**A/N: Sorry again for how long that was. I just got back from working two months at a camp and was in a bit of a posting blackout. :-( **

**I hope I still have some readers left!**

**Please R & R! The story is finishing up…give me motivation to keep writing!**

**Cheers!**


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: It all belongs to JK Rowling

**Disclaimer: As always…**

**Chapter 29**

"Get your filthy hands off of her!" Ron was shouting at the Death Eater as he grabbed Hermione's upper arms and practically dragged her towards the door, though she was not struggling. It was not one she recognized, and she was scared half out of her wits; he hadn't said anything, and she had no idea where she was being taken or whether she was being brought back.

When he had first entered the room, Harry and Ron had practically jumped him, though a quick little spell creating a magical barrier around them had ceased their attempts to save Hermione from being taken. They were restricted to yelling at him and hurling insults, neither of which were of any real use to Hermione.

It was the first real glimpse she had, however, of the building in which they were being held and, had she not been terrified, she would have looked on with interest. It seemed rather nice on the whole; she imagined that Voldemort, however, wasn't one to live in filth and grime. The place was windowless, but long corridors seemed to stretch on with several doors on each side. They mounted two staircases and went down another hallway. Hermione finally realized that these must be quarters for his followers. She had never considered that possibility before, but it made sense; of course there would be times when they needed to lie low, and Voldemort would want them under his watchful eye.

They finally stopped at one door. The Death Eater tapped on it brusquely and in just a few seconds, it swung open violently and quickly- to reveal Professor Snape. Hermione could have shouted for joy had not there been the necessity of maintaining a front at all times for the others' sakes.

"Here she is, sir," the Death Eater grunted as he handed her over to Snape. Hermione started as Snape grabbed her and forcefully tilted her head up so he could meet her eyes; but she held fast, and he took her and shoved her in to the room, shutting the door on the other Death Eater who seemed to be somewhat of a subordinate to Snape.

With the door shut, Snape rounded on her and raised his wand. Hermione eyed him suddenly warily, unsure of his intentions. However, he merely pointed it at a pot of tea which began to pour itself in to two cups. Then, he lit the fireplace in the room, providing Hermione with some warmth she had become used to missing in the last few days.

"The room is extremely well-secured," Snape informed her shortly. "Visually and audibly." She remained silent for some time and he motioned her to sit down and take a cup of tea. When she looked up at him again, she found his piercing eyes already surveying her, sizing her up. Out of sheer reflex, she quickly blocked off her mind to the gentle probing she knew was to follow. He frowned slightly.

"You are well?" he prompted her. She nodded. "No problems with any of the Death Eaters?" he asked concernedly. "None have tried anything, hurt you in any way…?"

"No," she murmured. There was a pause, and then she added. "Just you." A long silence followed after that while Snape tried to gauge just how she felt about the incident in the holding room from a couple mornings earlier. "Don't get me wrong," she added, "I'm not angry. But the last couple days, I keep trying to figure out why that visit was necessary, why you had to show yourself to Harry and Ron like that. I don't understand."

Snape sighed and sat down. This was going to be a long conversation.

"First," he told her, "why don't you eat something substantial. I'm sure you haven't been fed at ideal standards and-" she cut him off mid-sentence.

"That's very kind of you, but I'd rather not eat what Harry and Ron don't get to eat," she told him quietly.

"I understand that, except you're the one who needs to be able to side-along apparate with two people, let alone one, in a few days, so I think you'll understand when I insist that you keep your strength at higher standards than the two of them."

Hermione looked at him blankly for a few seconds before sighing and slumping down where she was sitting, looking defeated.

"It's so hard," she moaned. "It's so hard seeing the two of them and their belief that it's hopeless, all the meanwhile trying to put on a convincing role to both them _and_ everyone else in the place about you and how I really got here and what the eventual plan is for the night of the full moon. I've never felt this stressed out in my life. Oh, and the added possibility of death at any moment doesn't really help," she added as almost an afterthought.

Snape took a seat opposite her. "You've done phenomenally thus far," he told her, "and you know that I am not one to give out praise lightly. You asked about my visit to the room after your first night here; the Dark Lord wanted to test you, see just how far I'd broken you and just how far you'd go to protect the secret. He sent me, he wanted to witness your reaction, how you played it off to Potter and Weasley. I can inform you, with great relief, that he bought all of it. He was quite impressed at your commitment to not giving me away to the Order, even under what he believes to be your imminent death."

Looking at her, Snape couldn't bring himself to tell her about the other direction that conversation had turned to. It wasn't necessary, he decided. It would make no difference in how the night of the full moon played out. If possible, she would do all in her power to save Potter and Weasley, he knew that much. If not possible, if she were not present, it would be up to him, and telling her would only stress her further. He would allow her to go on considering the plan to be unhindered.

Snape summoned a substantial meal and the two sat talking while eating. He noticed that Hermione, while at first reluctant and poking at her food, eventually ate quite a bit, confirming his suspicions that they were not being fed quite adequately, though obviously enough to keep their strength decently up. Snape told her about Draco's removal from Hogwarts by his father.

Hermione nodded, not looking surprised. "He told me that he suspected such might be the case," she admitted.

"He did?" a surprised Snape asked.

"Sure. He realized that, by delivering me, his father might feel it was time to introduce him to the world of the Death Eaters and You-Know-Who. We actually got into an argument about it briefly; I was hesitant to have him do it if it meant he would be forced to take the mark. But he insisted. I hope his father is smart enough to wait until Draco graduates from Hogwarts before even considering it."

Snape mulled that over for a few minutes while Hermione finished eating.

"So do we have any further plan for the night of the ritual besides I wait until the anti-apparition barriers are dropped, grab Harry and Ron, and go? What of the potion? You mentioned there might be a way to sneak it to us?"

"That will prove to be little problem," Snape replied silkily. "The Death Eater in charge of your food and drink will be easily distracted, long enough for me to put some in your goblets. Your task will be ensuring that everyone drinks that afternoon. Also, as there has yet to be a test for this potion on a human, I have no way of knowing if there will be the red glow when swallowed. Be wary of that though, perhaps find a way to distract everyone at once so, hopefully, no one notices? I'll let you mull that over in the next few days."

"And where should we apparate to? Hogwarts is too obvious, and besides, we could only go as far as Hogsmeade anyway. I was thinking, perhaps, the Burrow?"

Snape shook his head adamantly. "Albus and I pondered that, but soon realized that would be the second place checked by the Dark Lord's followers. No, you will apparate to my house. But that means that you have a second very difficult task to achieve in the next few days. There is no form of visual surveillance on your room, but you are aware of the audio. Since my property is still under Fidelius charm, that means I shall have to write down the location and you will have to ensure that both Potter and Weasley read it. But you have to accomplish that without speaking and with no possibility of a Death Eater or the Dark Lord understanding what you are doing or what you are saying. If I write it down, anyone who reads the paper will be able to find my house. The paper shall be charmed to disintegrate the instant both of them read it. Do you think you can do that?"

"I have to, and I will," Hermione informed him resolutely.

Snape looked her over a few seconds.

"There's one more thing I should tell you," he started, and paused.

"Sir?"

"The Dark Lord has never issued the dark mark to a student still in Hogwarts. I do not believe he would ever do it under Dumbledore's nose. I don't think that's why he is having Lucius bring Draco."

"I don't either," Hermione acknowledged. "He said something, that night I was brought in. He mentioned that they would _reward_ Draco. And no, I don't think he was talking about the dark mark."

Snape raised his eyebrows. "You seem remarkably unperturbed by that possibility," he frowned.

"Professor," Hermione looked him in the eye, "I told something to Draco that I'm going to say to you as well. There are much more important things at stake. As long as I'm not killed, anything else they do to me is just a minor inconvenience in my path to rescuing Harry and Ron."

Snape looked at her closely. He could see the determination in her eyes, her commitment to her friends. She was unshakeable. He just hoped that, should such a thing come to pass, she would be able to emotionally handle it in the long run. It was obvious that she would do anything for her friends. _Anything_. But when they were out of danger, who knew how she would feel. He feared it would destroy the brief friendship she had managed to build up thus far with Draco. But they would see.

"So…" Hermione broke the long silence. "When do I go back to be with Harry and Ron?"

"Not for a few hours," Snape answered shortly. "Our encounter needs to seem longer than that of a brief business meeting."

Hermione smiled wryly. "Yeah, I suppose it does."

They sat up and chatted for a few more minutes before Hermione yawned. Snape checked the time.

"Perhaps it would be prudent to nap for a couple hours. It's getting late, and Lucius will be convinced that I've had plenty of time to do what I want with you after that." He gestured at a closed door on the other side of the room. "The bedroom is through that door, if you would like to lie down for a bit."

Hermione looked about to refuse, reconsidered, and said, "Thank you, sir. I think I will, if only to relax and think for a bit, without Harry and Ron pestering me." She stood up and headed for the door. As she reached it, a sudden thought occurred to Snape, something he was surprised had not passed his mind before.

"Miss Granger, are you a virgin?"

Hermione stopped with her hand on the doorknob. After a few terse seconds, she turned and looked at Snape. She did not answer.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

**A/N: Well, the board is set…let the games begin…**

**I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Hope you enjoyed reading it. Let me know if you did. If you didn't, let me know why not! **

**Until next time,**

**Cheers!**


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: It all belongs to JK Rowling

**Disclaimer: Yeah, we all know. JKs. Woot. **

**Chapter 30**

Two and a half hours later, Hermione left Snape's rooms with a formidable escort: Rodolphus Lestrange. She hadn't heard as many terrifying things about him as his wife, Bellatrix, but merely by association, he was frightening enough to be around. She thought nervously of the tiny fold of paper tucked in an interior pocket of her robes. It was charmed to be read as something boring and mundane by anyone other than Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but the charm wasn't strong, since Snape feared that any enchantments that were too powerful would be detectable within the room which they occupied.

She had a limited number of days in which to find a way to have both Harry and Ron read the note without them revealing what they were doing, and the sooner the better. The earlier the note was destroyed, the less likely the chance that a Death Eater would discover it. She would begin analyzing the possibilities as soon as she got back and try to determine the best option.

"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed as she was thrust back into their room and the door slammed shut. He rushed over and embraced her tightly. She could tell by his demeanor, and the relieved look on both of their faces that each had had his doubts of ever seeing her again due to her prolonged absence.

"Boy are we glad to see you again," Ron murmured, taking his turn hugging her. "Are you alright? Where did they take you? Did they hurt you in any way?"

"I'm fine, Ron, really," Hermione smiled, "so long as you don't suffocate me." Ron grinned sheepishly and released his hold.

"But where…?" Harry trailed off the question as Hermione gave both of them a look that said 'don't ask, I can't talk about it.'

"I'm not hurt, everything's okay," she reemphasized to cover for the silence that reigned after Harry's question cut off.

Ron changed the subject. "I really wonder what's going on in the rest of the Wizarding world," he sighed, and suddenly, Hermione was struck with a wave of guilt for not considering Ron's situation earlier. Harry had no relatives who worried or cared much where he was and what was happening. Hermione was confident in their escape to worry about her own parents, who were still well protected by members of the Order and had no access to the _Daily Prophet_. But Ron was the one person here who did have a family, and a large one at that, who were terrified with each passing moment about what would happen to their youngest son. Besides that, Harry and Hermione had essentially been adopted into the Weasley family during their time in the Wizarding world, and Hermione had taken no time to stop and consider just what that family must be going through right now.

Tears welled up in Hermione's eyes and she embraced Ron. "Me too," she murmured, "me too."

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

The next morning, Hermione woke as a tray of food was magically apparated into the room. She could not have been happier to see what was on the try accompanying the 'breakfast,' if you could call it that: a _Daily Prophet_. Sure, they were being mocked by Voldemort for their conversation from the previous day, but it played perfectly in her necessity to have Harry and Ron read the piece of paper from Voldemort.

While Harry and Ron picked at the unappetizing-looking meal, Hermione browsed the paper, finding a reasonably interesting article where she could draw the attention of the boys. Eventually, she settled on one relating to Fudge. Very carefully, she slipped her hand into the pocket of her robes which contained the paper and drew it out. She laid it flat on top of the article and prayed that Harry and Ron would have the common sense to read it and shut up.

She waited until they were done eating and then called them over to the little desk where she sat with the paper.

"Hey guys, check this out," she pointed out the article which was headlined: **FUDGE IN A PICKLE**. Underneath that, however, was the small slip of paper which merely said _The location of the Prince Residence may be found at number thirty-four Woodyshire lane. _

Harry and Ron looked up at Hermione in surprise, about to open their mouths, but Hermione put a finger to her lips, smiled slightly, and said, "Apparently some people feel the Minister might have to resign soon in light of the situation. Given our past with Fudge, I guess I'd feel we'd done the Wizarding world a favor!"

Harry picked up on what had happened, especially as the piece of paper crumbled and turned to dust before their very eyes. He looked at her in wonder for a second before chiming in.

"I know what you mean, Fudge is such a dolt. It would be a great service- getting kidnapped and getting rid of him, all at once."

The three of them laughed, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. Hermione hoped it was enough. This was most likely the only shot they'd have.

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Draco Malfoy looked at the clock nervously. His father would be calling for him at any moment. He had been out of Hogwarts for several days now, and was weary of his father's constant praise of the Dark Lord and voiced approval of Draco's actions, as well as the constant pride his father mentioned over Draco's quick path in his footsteps, as an apt servant of the Dark Lord. _Funny_, Draco thought, that his father who took so much pride in being superior to so many others, would revel in being an able servant of another.

It was the night before the full moon. Tonight, Lucius would take Draco to the Dark Lord. Tonight, Draco would take his rightful place as a Malfoy at the Dark Lord's side. That's what Lucius said, at any rate. Draco's arm twitched at the thought of being branded with the dark mark. If that were his curse though, so be it. Anything to help her…_them_…survive. Draco realized with surprise that now he was in this as much for Potter and Weasley as he was for Hermione.

"Draco! Come quickly now, we haven't all night."

Sure enough, there Lucius was, calling Draco to come apparate with him to the Dark Lord's hideout.

Draco cleared his mind, preparing to be met with the onslaught of occlumency from the Dark Lord. Masking his face for his father, erasing all signs of worry and doubt, he descended the staircase, cloak billowing about him, presenting a formidable sight.

"I'm ready, father."

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

Severus Snape sat in Albus Dumbledore's office, worry etched in every line of his face.

"You've done all you can, Severus," Dumbledore said placidly. "At this point, you must trust in the abilities of Hermione, as I know you already do. She is resourceful, and she will do everything in her power to find a way to succeed. Just be on your guard, of course, should the night go awry tomorrow."

Snape groaned, his hands at his face. "I can't believe I let the silly girl talk me into this," he sighed.

"You give her too little credit," Dumbledore smiled, eyes twinkling despite the seriousness of the situation. "Yet I suppose such is often the case when we have feelings for others and we do not wish to admit them."

Snape looked quickly at him. "I don't have _feelings_ for others, much less for my students," he coolly replied. "You were right before, it was madness to trust the fate of the world into the hands of this girl. I have no way of knowing even if she got Potter and Weasley to read the paper with the location of the house on it."

"And if she didn't, she will do something else," Dumbledore attempted to soothe him. "We should prepare tonight, however, for her apparition tomorrow. You will, presumably, be with Voldemort. Will anyone be at your house?"

"Harmony the house elf," Snape answered. "And Lupin is one of very few who have had the location revealed to him. I'm sure he will gladly take post there and be prepared to do whatever needs to be done."

Dumbledore considered this. "We shall want to make more Order members aware, in that case. Arthur and Molly, perhaps, Tonks, Mad-Eye, Kingsley…just those who will want to be assured of the three's safety and can help Remus if they have any injuries or problems."

Snape nodded. "You'll probably also want to inform them of the likelihood that Miss Granger will simply fall over from the exhaustion of double side-along apparition. She will need a couple of hours to recuperate, possibly a strengthening solution after that feat."

As Dumbledore opened his mouth to respond, a sharp pain took over Snape's arm. The dark mark was burning. Cursing, he grabbed parchment, a quill and ink, and hurriedly scribbled out the same message that he had written on the note he gave to Hermione.

"Pass this along to whoever you see fit," he shoved the parchment into Dumbledore's hand. "I have to go. If he's summoning everyone tonight, I fear what that may mean."

"You don't think he'd move the ritual up a night?" a worried Dumbledore asked.

"No, there'd be no magical benefit of tonight's moon. I'm more concerned about Draco at this point."

And with that, Snape turned heel and left the office.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

It was late. Harry and Ron were dozing, but Hermione, curled up next to Harry on one of the beds, couldn't sleep. Tomorrow was the ultimate test, the test of everything she had worked for in the last several months. Learning how to apparate, conquering occlumency, the potion to protect from the _Avada Kedavra_ curse…all would be under trial tomorrow night, and the consequences could be severe if any one of those things failed.

She had almost managed to drift off into an uneasy sleep when the door slid open silently. She sat up and found herself looking in to the cold, calculating grey eyes of Lucius Malfoy. He approached her and she stood, feeling vulnerable sitting on the bed. Malfoy reached a hand to her face and stroked it. Hermione held back a shudder.

"Miss Granger," he acknowledged her quietly.

"Sir," she spoke warily and quietly, desperately hoping not to wake either of the other two.

"How pleasant to see you again, it has been quite a while," he murmured.

"It has, Mr. Malfoy," she spoke subserviently as she always had in his presence.

"Oh, but I'm not here for myself tonight," he spoke almost wistfully. "I've brought a special someone to see you. He's waiting for us right now upstairs." Hermione's heart almost stopped mid-beat. She knew what he meant, it had to be. But she meant what she said. It was just an obstacle, an annoyance.

"I'll come quietly then," she informed him. The last thing she wanted was Harry and Ron to wake up and have another futile shouting match at the person dragging her out of the room.

"Ah, such a good pet Severus has turned you into," Lucius placed a hand behind her back and guided her from the room, shutting the door softly behind them. Harry and Ron never even budged.

As they climbed the steps to the upper levels of the building, Hermione thought back to the night before Draco and Zabini orchestrated her kidnap. She had spent a good deal of the night awake in the Room of Requirement with Draco, talking over the next day and assuring him that this was really the only way.

"_Just trust me, okay?" she pleaded. "If anyone can save them now, it's me."_

_  
"I do trust you." _

They reached the top. Hermione was brought in to a large round room with maybe a half dozen people in it. Voldemort stood in the middle, grinning a mirthless grin.

"_I have one more thing I need to ask you. One more thing I need you to do for me." _

"Draco!" Voldemort called him exuberantly.

"At your service, my lord," Draco knelt before him. He did not don the usual garb and mask of a Death Eater, and for that, Hermione was glad. It made him seem like a real person, as opposed to the other soulless beings in the room.

"She is here, Draco. You know what to do. Just don't play too roughly." A ripple of chuckles went through the room.

"_Are you sure?" Draco asked a nervous-looking Hermione. He could hardly believe what she had just requested of him. _

"_They think Snape's been using me all year. What if someone else does try to…you know…and I never…" she trailed off, but saw the understanding on Draco's face. _

Draco stood and approached Lucius and Hermione, hating himself with every step. He jerked his head tersely at his father, grabbed Hermione's arm, and dragged her towards where a sizeable mat lay on the floor. As they turned away from Lucius, he gestured to another Death Eater who quickly departed the room. While they moved, Hermione caught a brief glimpse of Snape who stood with a stoic expression on his face. She attempted to briefly meet his eyes and reassure him that she was alright, but she didn't think he got the message.

_Draco led her slowly to the bed which had appeared for them in the Room of Requirement. When they reached it, Hermione began to unbutton her blouse in a very business-like fashion. _

"_Wait," Draco reached out and touched her arm. "I know this isn't what you really envisioned for your first time. But the least I can do, if you want to try to pretend this is under different circumstances, is make it as gentle and romantic as possible."_

"On the floor, mudblood," Draco's cruel voice cut through Hermione like a knife. She had to remind herself that he wasn't truly evil; it was as much of an act as her behavior towards Harry and Ron and towards Voldemort. She hesitated in moving, not wanting to appear too willing, and Draco reached out and pushed her harshly to the mat, amid jeers from the few spectators.

Hermione had been wearing the same skirt and blouse under her robes since the night she had been brought to Voldemort. She was thankful that Draco left her mostly dressed, especially considering the others watching. He made a show of revealing her chest somewhat, but otherwise, there wasn't much to see. His robes concealed them for the most part. The other Death Eaters wouldn't have an exhibition tonight.

_She gave a sharp gasp and clenched her eyes shut and Draco moved a hand to stroke her face. "You alright?" he asked concernedly when she opened her eyes again. She nodded quickly, breathing heavily, and Draco kissed her tenderly before slowly resuming. _

It was over soon enough. Draco had thrown a couple of insults at her, she had given a couple of theatrical gasps of pain, and before she knew it, he was climbing off of her and straightening his robes. She sat up to do the same when she heard an anguished cry.

"Hermione!"

Startled, she looked over towards the elder Malfoy. Next to him was the Death Eater he had sent from the room when Draco took Hermione. That Death Eater and one other were restraining Harry and Ron, who had cried out.

"Well, I'm glad someone besides Severus finally got to enjoy Miss Granger after all this time," Lucius said loudly, receiving guffaws around the room.

Harry and Ron, looking heartbroken, were startled at this announcement and their expressions turned murderous as they sought out Snape.

Hermione, devastated, looked at Lucius. He returned her look with a cold, evil smirk and she realized that he had planned to bring Harry and Ron to witness that all along.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

**A/N: Wow. I found that intense. How 'bout you? **

**Please review! Agh! **

**Cheers!**


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: It all belongs to JK Rowling

**A/N: I can't even stand putting these in any more. I just want to finish this! I'm on edge, and I know what's going to happen!**

**Disclaimer: All J.K.'s. I'm just playing. evil grin**

**Chapter 31**

Awkward silence reigned supreme among Harry, Ron, and Hermione following the return to their room of imprisonment. They sat far apart from each other, not sure how to interact. Harry occupied the chair, and Hermione and Ron each took a bed. Hermione was furious and miserable. She had tried so hard to pretend everything suggested about her and Snape was just Snape's need to appear a faithful Death Eater. And then when Lucius Malfoy had come in the night before, completely silent, she had been so relieved that Harry and Ron had not even stirred. Malfoy had known though, knew that was the one thing that could get to her. And by announcing Snape's part, it had completed her humiliation. Once they were free, she'd have to spend hours convincing Harry and Ron of Draco's and Snape's loyalties.

But that thought was encouraging actually. _Once they were free. _It would be within the next day. She realized that she'd rather be explaining that her and Draco were actually quite good friends outside of Voldemort's lair than sit moping in it, unable to express her true thoughts due to constant surveillance of their conversations, which was enough to drive one insane.

Eventually, she drifted off into a fitful sleep. Knowing she was to essentially save the Wizarding world the next night by not allowing Voldemort to kill Harry, she was understandably on edge and nervous. But she was determined. That's what kept saving Harry, his determination to live. She had never needed to possess that same determination but she realized that it was beginning to flow through her veins, preparing to spike her adrenaline the following night when the moon was out and all was prepared.

She didn't know how long she slept, she guessed a couple hours maximum. When she woke, however, she found herself in a comforting embrace; Ron had lain down next to her and wrapped an arm around her. She smiled slightly. Ron was gradually learning tact and understanding of others' feelings. It was ironic though, seeing as how Ron had no clue what she was actually upset about.

She gently attempted to remove herself from his loosely draped arm, not wanting to wake him up. She had barely gotten off the bed, however, when Harry's voice interrupted the total silence of the room.

"How long, Hermione?"

She froze and looked to where he had taken up residence of the other bed. It didn't appear that he had slept at all, but he looked decently alert.

"Harry, please don't…"

"How long?" His voice was quiet, but firm. He met her gaze steadily and Hermione struggled to interpret the emotions she saw within them. Anger, definitely, but not directed towards her…at least not entirely. Confusion, bitterness…but no fear. After a few seconds, Harry jerked his head and broke the look. Hermione started; he might have felt her analyzing him. She decided it best to answer him before he began to ask questions about legilimency.

"September," Hermione whispered, waiting for the outburst. "Soon after school started."

Harry's hands curled into fists around the blankets. He looked absolutely livid, and yet pained at the same time. It was now early April…she could see he blamed himself for letting it go on more than six months without noticing, and it pained Hermione to not be able to reassure him that nothing actually happened, there was nothing that Harry needed to worry about.

"How did he keep you quiet that long? Did he threaten you, or someone else?" Harry sat, eyes closed, awaiting her response.

"I really don't think this is the time, they can hear everything-"

"I don't bloody care what they can hear!" Harry exclaimed loudly. "You've been protecting Snape since we got here, for them, and I can't quite figure out why, but the game is up! Malfoy affirmed exactly what Ron and I suspected the morning you were first here, so there can't be any more need to pretend nothing happened! I want to know how Snape gets away with this under Dumbledore's nose for months and you don't even tell me and Ron."

Hermione met his gaze steadily and frostily. "And has it occurred to you, Harry that I find it difficult to discuss or mention because I'm ashamed of what's been happening and it's painful for me to talk about?"

Harry didn't move or speak. After a few tense seconds, Ron spoke up. Hermione started. She never even noticed that he woke up.

"It's alright, Hermione, you don't have to explain yourself to us. Harry's upset…we both are. But we can understand if it's not something you can talk about. We're here for you regardless."

"Thanks, Ron," Hermione smiled a genuine smile at him. Harry had the good sense to look somewhat abashed for harassing her about it.

They sat in a more comfortable silence for some minutes before the tray with their morning's breakfast magically appeared in the room. It was the last morning of their entrapment. After tonight's moon, they would either be free and in Snape's residence, or they would be dead.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

"What will Dumbledore do once I have killed his precioussss Potter?"

"It is difficult to say, my lord," Snape replied cautiously. "He will be in shock, that is absolutely certain. It may take a while for him to regroup. I suspect he would discuss the closing of the school with the teachers and the governors. Beyond that, if he felt Harry Potter was the only hope of destroying you, per the prophecy, he would likely devote himself to the attempt for the rest of his life. Short though it would be, at that point," he added to placate Voldemort.

"Yes," mused Voldemort, "once I have the power of the 'boy-who-lived,' I shall be unstoppable. Very well. You may go, Severus. I shall be summoning all of my loyal followers before midnight to witness my final defeat over Harry Potter."

"Thank you, my lord," Snape bowed his head and exited. He had little time to ensure the potion found its way to the three students trapped in the lower levels of the lair. It was nearly time for their final meal of the day.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

Hermione froze as she heard the apparition of their nightly allotment of dinner. She realized how lucky they had really been; not wanting to weaken them, they had been fed regularly. She guessed, however, that most to come through and have the misfortune of being prisoner to Voldemort were not so lucky.

For this particular meal, however, she was wary of the inclusion of the potion that would, hopefully, save them if they were struck by the _Avada Kedavra_ curse. Thus far today, she had not been aware of the presence of it, and so she assumed it would be with the final meal, the one closest to the time of the ritual, and therefore with the least chance that it would wear off before any attempt at their lives was made. Pondering this, Hermione realized just how much to chance they were trusting this potion, which had not yet been tested for humans, just lab animals.

"Let's have a toast," Hermione announced as the small goblets appeared. Ron and Harry both looked at her skeptically.

"Um, Hermione…I mean, is this really the time?" Ron asked.

"What better time?" Hermione retorted. "Okay, so maybe not a toast per say, but why don't we all close our eyes and reflect on nearly six years of friendship and adventure. This is just but the latest," she added, smiling vaguely.

"That sounds like a good idea," Harry supported her. Hermione couldn't tell where he saw tonight going. Neither Harry nor Ron had the look of someone who thought they were eating their last meal. Perhaps the note pertaining to the Fidelius charm was keeping hope in them that the Order was secretly planning something, and that they would survive the night.

Each picked up a goblet. Closing their eyes, Ron and Harry downed theirs in one gulp. Hermione followed suit, but kept careful watch on their appearances. She was relieved to note a faint red glow briefly surround each of them and herself just seconds before Harry and Ron opened their eyes again. Snape must have found a way to hide the color and taste, because neither suspected a thing.

The plan was set. There was nothing left to do now but to wait.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

"Get up."

Later that night, as waiting was starting to make all three of them extremely twitchy, three Death Eaters appeared at the door. Hermione did not recognize the Carrow siblings who accompanied McNair, but they exuded evil and cruelty in a way that she had not experienced by many others. Only Bellatrix Lestrange thus far trumped them in that regard. It was, therefore, not much to Hermione's liking when one grabbed her, another grabbed Harry, and McNair grabbed Ron, and they were marched up through the building and outside.

She wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but Hermione thought she could feel the absence of all of the protective barriers when they reached the outside air. It could have just been going so long without fresh air that even that carried a magical quality about it.

They approached a ring of people in the guise of Death Eaters. They seemed to be waiting for something and no one spoke. Hermione took the opportunity to look around and seek out recognizable faces. She found Nott, Rodolphus Lestrange, Crabbe and Goyle, though she wasn't sure which was which, Pettigrew, who she eyed with much dislike, and Lucius Malfoy, keeping a firm hold on his son's arm who stood before him. Hermione glanced sideways and noted the loathing on Harry's face as he too spotted Draco.

There was soon another source for Harry's anger, however, when a POP signaled Snape's arrival in the circle- right next to Hermione and the Carrow sibling.

"Amycus," Snape acknowledged the Death Eater, "Miss Granger," he added snidely, earning a look that could have killed from both Harry and Ron.

"Almost late there, Severus," Lucius observed. "The summons should occur any moment, I know how you'd hate to miss this night."

"Duly noted, Lucius," Snape replied coolly, "I, unfortunately, had further obligations that had to be fulfilled for the Dark Lord before I joined the festivities, unlike yourself." Lucius flushed, but the retort was lost with each and every Death Eater's dark mark began burning, drawing them to the place where the ritual was to be held. Almost in unison, each member of the circle turned on the spot, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione were pulled along in side-along apparition, as was Draco with Lucius further around the circle.

Hermione lurched slightly when her feet met the ground again, but Amycus Carrow jerked her roughly back upright. When she caught her balance, she was able to take in her surroundings; her breath caught in her throat.

They were standing atop a high cliff which overlooked a vast expanse of water, stretching further than the eye could see. Hermione suspected it to be the North Sea, but realized she had no way of knowing whether she was in Britain, let alone Europe, at this point. It was a beautifully clear night and the full moon hung bright and huge before them. There was an orange-ish tint to it which made it seem more ominous and, perhaps, appropriate for the intended ritual. Though it was clear, a cold wind whipped around, stinging Hermione's face and eyes as she looked at the scene before them, well-illuminated by the brightness of the full moon.

Voldemort stood at the edge of the cliff, surveying the Death Eaters before him. Bellatrix Lestrange knelt a few feet in front of him clutching a large, old, black leather-bound book that, even from a distance, did not look like anything that would even be found in the Restricted Section at Hogwarts' library.

"My faithful, most loyal," Voldemort addressed the Death Eaters who had appeared before him. "You shall witness the making of history tonight. Tonight, I shall succeed where I have failed so many times before. Tonight, I shall prove Dumbledore's weakness and foolhardiness in putting his faith and trusting the fate of the world to this…_boy_." He said the word with contempt as he gestured towards Harry with his wand. "Tonight, Harry Potter shall die, and I…I shall become unbeatable, unstoppable, as I take his powers, and soon, the world shall be mine, Wizarding and Muggle alike!"

A roar of cheers and applause, deafening despite the muffling factor of the wind, rent the night air. After a few seconds, Voldemort raised a hand and there was instant silence. Even the wind seemed to heed his command.

"This is not all, however," he continued in a softer, yet deadlier voice. "Tonight shall also be the night where we introduce another into our ranks."

Hermione started. She shot a quick glance towards Draco who was maintaining a decently cool composure. She'd been so sure that Voldemort was done with Draco for now. He'd proven his worthiness. He was sure to receive the dark mark. But Hermione had so desperately hoped he'd wait until Draco graduated.

"Miss Granger, come forth," Voldemort said.

She froze. What could he possibly want with her? Surely he didn't want Draco to repeat last night's actions…

After a few seconds not moving, Carrow gave her a shove, and almost dreamlike, she found herself walking closer to Voldemort, but not daring to get too close. She stood there, not knowing what to do, able to focus on nothing but blocking her mind from this creature. Before anyone spoke though, she found herself shoved roughly to her knees by Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Now, now, Bella, play nicely," Voldemort gave a low, mirthless chuckle. He then turned to address the crowd.

"Some purebloods have sullied their names by marrying half-bloods, muggle-borns, half-breeds, or even _muggles_," he hissed. A general mutter of assent went through the assembled bunch. Voldemort continued. "Some muggle-borns, however, show a likewise controversial talent above some of their blood superiors." This time, a less approving mutter. "Nay, it is true. In extraordinarily rare situations, a glitch can make a muggle-born more powerful than any pure-blood could dream possible. Miss Granger is one of these."

Hermione couldn't move. She couldn't even look up. What was he getting at?

"Therefore," came the quiet hiss, "I would like to extend the offer to Miss Granger here to join us tonight, and learn the ways in which she can bring her talent to its true fruition."

Some gasped. Harry and Ron looked floored. Hermione found herself pulled back to her feet by Bellatrix.

"There is one condition, however, Miss Granger," Voldemort spoke to her personally. A wand was placed in her hand.

"You are to first kill Mr. Weasley."

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

**A/N: Agh. The stress! **

**Review for me, pretty please?**

**Cheers!**


	32. Chapter 32

Disclaimer: It all belongs to JK Rowling

**Disclaimer: Same as always. Not mine. JKs. **

**Chapter 32**

If Severus Snape had ever been shocked by the actions of Voldemort, this was it. Never had he dreamed, when he said he wanted to break her, that he had something as sadistic as this in mind. It was also very uncharacteristic of Voldemort; his goal in performing tonight's ritual was to make himself powerful beyond reckoning. By allowing Hermione to kill Weasley in order to stay alive herself, he was sacrificing two potential wizards from whom to draw power in the interests of using Hermione for their side. He must have something special in mind for her, Snape realized. Perhaps even sending her back as the sole survivor of the three to kill Dumbledore.

He studied Hermione's face. She seemed to be hurriedly trying to analyze her options and the potential outcomes of all of them. She could actually do it, but assuming the potion worked, Weasley would survive and all would be seized, the ritual would be ceased, and Voldemort would have each thoroughly examined, trying to determine what had happened. He would probably have someone else attempt to kill them for fear of a similar situation to what happened some fifteen years prior with the infant Potter.

If she refused, Voldemort might attempt to kill her on the spot, before she had time to reach Potter and Weasley, creating the same situation when she didn't actually die. Or he might bring all of them together once more for the ritual, giving her ample opportunity to grab both and apparate once the Death Eaters released Potter and Weasley. It was a toss up, and a tough choice.

Hermione looked at Harry and Ron for a long time. For the first time, both began to look scared, and she wasn't sure if it was for themselves or for her. She then shifted her gaze to Snape for as long as she dared, seeking any kind of mental advice or support. She didn't think she'd even have the ability to perform the curse, since she'd never be able to convince herself she meant it. Snape provided little help though, just some vague mental support. She could tell he was just as flummoxed as he was.

"Well, Hermione?" Voldemort used her first name for the first time.

Summoning all of her courage, Hermione turned around again to face Voldemort. Looking him in the eye, she spoke smoothly and silkily.

"It is a very generous offer that you have given me, my lord," Hermione inclined her head to him. Voldemort's joyless smile widened. He believed he had her. "And I am very thankful." She turned back to face the crowd of Death Eaters, and Snape noted with alarm that her eyes had taken an evil look to them. He strongly hoped that she was just that good of an actress. "If someone could escort Weasley forward?" she suggested boldly, twirling the wand between her fingertips.

"Hermione, no!" Harry finally shouted, unable to believe his ears. "How could you even consider joining them, after all they've done to you and your friends?" The other Carrow smacked him, hard, in the face, forcing his wand against his throat.

Ron was brought forward by McNair until he stood about five feet in front of Hermione. He looked more confused than anything else. Hermione raised the wand that had been given to her before lowering it slowly, looking pensive.

"Having second thoughts?" Voldemort's voice was low and deadly. Hermione spun to face him, and her voice sounded affronted.

"Of course not, my lord," she purred. "But I had a thought. Perhaps Potter could come hold him, rather than McNair. He should have to see his best friend of six years die. He should have to see what he has caused, how being his friend poisons and kills everyone around him."

Harry looked crestfallen. Hermione could tell she had played the part well, and she felt horrible for it inside. That was Harry's biggest qualm with life: his parents, Sirius, Cedric…people around him being murdered by Voldemort or his followers. And she knew that he wouldn't question it if she convincingly sounded bitter about it. And he didn't.

Voldemort laughed cruelly. "Why, Severus, what have you done with this girl? She needs no help in taking up her spot at my side, she performs quite nicely already. Bella, you soon may have some competition!" Bellatrix Lestrange shot Hermione a deadly look, daring her to encroach on her spot as Voldemort's best lieutenant. "So be it! Alecto, bring Mr. Potter forward."

And so the other Carrow brought Harry to stand next to Ron. "Mr. Potter, if you could be so kind as to take Mr. Weasley's arm," Voldemort hissed at him. He was reveling in the pain that the two were feeling. "And do be sure, if you should attempt anything, about two dozen wands are trained at your back, you won't get far."

Harry took hold of Ron's right arm per Voldemort's request. Hermione could see the wheels turning in his head, desperate to think of anything before the unthinkable happened. She figured she should act quickly before Harry tried something rash.

She raised the wand and pointed it at Ron. She took a step forward. Snape watched her with bated breath, as did Draco. She began to flourish the wand, opening her mouth to speak.

She took a giant leap forward, covering the distance between her and Harry and Ron, yelling, "PROTEGO!" A shield formed over the three of them and she took Harry's free arm. "Turn!" she screamed at them and they did.

As they completed the half-turn, an instant before disapparating, Hermione felt several spells and curses weaken the temporary shield. It shattered in the same moment she felt the queasy, sucking sensation pull the three of them through space. Hoping desperately that no one was cursed or splinched, she concentrated with all of her might on the Prince Residence at number thirty-four Woodyshire Lane.

It felt like an eternity and yet, somehow, it also felt like no time at all. Before she knew it, they were falling backwards on the floor of the sitting room. They lay still for several seconds, recovering and catching their breaths. Harry and Ron couldn't quite believe the events that had just unfolded in the last few seconds, let alone the rest of the night.

A POP signaled the arrival of Harmony the house elf.

"Hermione!" she squeaked. "Master Lupin and Mistress Tonks are on their way to tend to yourself and Misters Potter and Weasley."

And indeed, in just a matter of seconds, as they were getting up from the floor, they heard footsteps coming from somewhere down the hall. Lupin and Tonks burst into the room. Tonks ran forward and embraced the three of them fiercely.

"Thank Merlin you made it," Lupin breathed. "Moody and Arthur will be here at any minute, Molly is upstairs with Kingsley getting a couple of rooms ready for you. Are you all alright?"

"I…I think so," Ron sounded unsure of himself and somewhat surprised to still be breathing. Harry nodded an affirmative but didn't speak. Hermione looked pale and shaky.

"Hermione?" Tonks sounded concerned.

"I'm fine," Hermione breathed, swaying a little where she stood, "just a little dizzy."

Lupin stepped forward and caught her as she fell.

"Is she okay?" Harry quickly spoke up.

"She should be fine, she needs to sleep more than anything," Lupin assured them, leading the way, carrying Hermione upstairs. "Side-along apparition is exhausting even with just one person and she did it with two. Coupled with…"

Hermione didn't hear anymore as everything went black.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

Chaos was the only appropriate word for the scene which Hermione, Ron, and Harry left behind on the cliff top. An outraged Voldemort released a burst of anger that sent everyone within fifteen feet flying backwards. He then began shooting random curses towards whoever crossed his sightline. Once several Death Eaters had collapsed screaming, hit with the _Cruciatus_ curse, he abruptly ceased and regained control as if he had never lost it.

"Back to headquarters," he stated simply, yet lowly and dangerously, apparating. He was followed by the Death Eaters who resumed the circular formation they had occupied before leaving earlier that night, Voldemort in the center.

No one spoke for some time. The Death Eaters lowered their eyes, afraid to meet the cold, red snake-eyes of the dark lord. Eventually, Voldemort broke the silence.

"You are all dismissed," he hissed. "All of you except Severus and Draco."

Both Malfoys started at that.

"My lord?" Lucius asked tentatively.

"You needn't worry about your son, Lucius, he shall be returning to Hogwarts with Severus."

The rest of the Death Eaters had gone at this point. Lucius gave Draco's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, sensing his sudden rise in fear, and disapparated himself. Only Snape and Draco were left with Voldemort.

Raising his wand, Voldemort summoned something to himself. As far as the other two could tell, it was just an ordinary rock. Waving his wand in a tricky manner, the rock glowed briefly before resuming its normal color and opaqueness. He handed it to Draco.

"This is a portkey. It will take you to the Forbidden Forest, just outside the borders of Hogwarts, in five minutes."

Draco accepted it with a muttered, "Yes, my lord," giving Snape a quizzical look. If they were going back together, surely Snape could just apparate both of them. There was a strange look in Snape's eye, though, one that Draco didn't like. It seemed almost…resigned, maybe. In any case, Snape seemed to understand Voldemort's train of thought, even if Draco did not.

"Severus," Voldemort spoke quietly.

"My lord," Snape acknowledged him.

"I see a problem with what has happened here tonight, Severus, I wonder if you have spotted it as well."

"Of course, my lord, Harry Potter has once again managed to slip past-"

"No!" exclaimed Voldemort, "no! This has very little to do with Harry Potter. The problem I speak of is in reference to Hermione Granger," he spat the name like it was a disgusting taste in his mouth. Snape continued to look at him silently. "How do you suppose, Severus, that Granger learned to apparate?"

"I imagine she approached another professor, perhaps a member of the Order of the Phoenix, to teach her, my lord."

"And you were unaware of this?"

"Of course, my lord, I told you when they were first captured that none knew how to apparate, they haven't even begun teaching the sixth years yet at the school. My sincerest apologies. I was, quite obviously, mistaken."

"Yes, well, that would be a reasonable misunderstanding, Severus," Voldemort hissed. "But where do you think the girl learned occlumency then? The same source?"

Snape did not reply. He already knew what would happen, had known from the moment Voldemort had first suggested attempting to turn Hermione Granger.

"If you had this girl in your power so much this past year, Severus, and yet were unable to even determine she could apparate and knew occlumency techniques- knew very well, I might add, as I was never even aware she was shielding her mind from me- well, who knows what else she told you that was false?"

Voldemort began pacing back and forth, he looked like he was considering something very hard. Meanwhile, Draco stood petrified, listening to the encounter with bated breath.

"The only person in the world who is as skilled as you or I at occlumency is Albus Dumbledore," Voldemort hissed, "and therefore, I must conclude that he is the one who taught her so well. Which means the two have been deep in counsel and Dumbledore saw fit to teach her to shield her mind from the only other accomplished legilimens in Hogwarts: yourself. Furthermore, by this point, I'm sure Potter and Weasley have had the chance to spill all they have heard about you."

There was a few seconds pause. "You understand what this means, don't you, Severus?" He waited, but received no reply. "If Dumbledore doesn't trust you anymore, than you are of no more use to me. Goodbye, Severus."

Draco started towards Snape as Voldemort flourished his wand. Snape reached out and pushed Draco away from him a split second before the green light hit him square in the chest. He fell backwards and did not move.

Draco stared wide-eyed at the body lying before him, shocked.

"That portkey will activate in about thirty seconds, Draco," Voldemort informed him nonchalantly. He gestured towards Snape's body with his wand. "Take this to Dumbledore as an example of his failings. I look forward to seeing you in my circle again. You have done well."

With that, Voldemort turned and left. Draco reached out and grabbed the still-warm hand seconds before the portkey activated. With a jerk behind his navel, Draco found himself traveling faster and faster, landing with a thud on the forest floor.

As he attempted to sit up and release his grip on the body of his now former potions professor, he felt the hand squeeze his, refusing to let go. With an unnaturally high pitched shriek, Draco fell back over. When he'd recovered from the shock, he leaned over Snape's body and felt for a pulse. He didn't have to wait to find it though, because he saw the lips moving first.

"Sir?" he asked warily. He couldn't understand how on earth Snape was still alive. He leaned close to his lips to try to hear him; Snape didn't seem strong enough to speak loudly at all.

After a few attempts, Draco was able to distinguish the words 'not here' and 'my house.' Hoping that was what he wanted, Draco apparated with him to number thirty-four Woodyshire Lane.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

**A/N: So I thought about being TOTALLY evil and ending it right after the portkey activated…but I would have been mad at myself for that, so I can't even imagine leaving you guys on edge like that, not sure if he took the potion or not. So, less exciting of a cliffie, but no death threats I hope. :P **

**Cheers!**


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer: It all belongs to JK Rowling

**A/N: Wow, I'm excited. I've been so eager to write some of these next scenes. Should be exciting.**

**Disclaimer: JKs. Not mine. sigh**

**Chapter 33**

Hermione groaned and rolled over. She felt a hand at her face, gently and comfortingly caressing her cheek. She smiled to herself and happily drifted back to sleep, enjoying her first carefree sleep in more than a week.

In approximately another hour, she woke up again, and stayed awake. It was early morning, the sun was just barely peeking in the window. When she looked around, she noted that she wasn't in the bedroom she had slept in all summer. She was also alone, for which she was glad at the moment. She needed a few moments to compose herself before being barraged with questions from Harry and Ron.

She stepped into the washroom off the bedroom and looked at herself in the mirror for the first time in several days. It looked like someone had washed her face (she suspected Molly), but otherwise she felt completely grimy. She opened the cupboard, hoping it was the same kind of magical cupboard which Snape had in the other room. Her hopes were not disappointed, when she found a brush, soap, and shampoo, as well as a toothbrush and toothpaste. Her parents wouldn't be disappointed either, she noted with a grin to herself.

Once she was showered and presentable, she stepped back into the bedroom and opened the closet. Expectations met, she pulled out a fresh, clean set of robes and quickly put them on. By this point, she was anxious to make sure Harry and Ron were okay and not mad at her for pretending that she was about to murder Ron. She shuddered at the thought. It was such a relief not to have to constantly shield one's thoughts and emotions now.

Before leaving, she pocketed the wand which had been left on the table beside the bed. She didn't know whose it was, she hadn't even noticed who put it in her hand back at the cliff, but she felt vulnerable without a wand and so she took it.

Venturing out into the hallway, she noted she was two doors down from the hidden bedroom. She had a hunch that Remus would have put Harry and Ron there for two reasons: one, to be sure that Harry was very securely hidden should something go wrong; two, to stop Harry and Ron from wandering the house, which would be sure to anger Snape beyond belief.

She approached the door and said the password, making it appear before her eyes. After that, she tapped lightly on it, in case they were sleeping. Given the speed with which the door was opened, however, she suspected that Harry, with whom she came face-to-face, was anxious to leave. She slid in past him, however, shutting the door behind her, and it disappeared back into the wall. Harry looked befuddled.

"What the bloody hell is with this door?" he asked Hermione.

"Hello to you too," she said cheekily. Before he could respond, however, the bathroom door opened and Ron started to walk out in boxers.

Seeing Hermione, he yelled, "Oi!" and disappeared back in the bathroom, shutting the door. Hermione and Harry laughed heartily, and then laughed harder when the door reopened and Ron stood there with a face as red as his hair.

The tension she had feared between them gone, the three sat down on one of the beds (Hermione noticed that the formerly one big bed seemed to have been split in two). Hermione braced herself for the stream of questions. She was hesitant to answer some of them before she talked to Snape and Dumbledore though.

"Where are we?" was the first question from Ron.

"The house of an Order member," was Hermione's vague reply. The more she thought about it, the weirder the current situation became. Where was everyone? Shouldn't Molly be here fawning over them? Sure, several hours had gone by, but it seemed unlikely that they should leave all three of them completely unattended. Had something else happened?

Hermione was startled out of her thoughts by Harry's surprisingly bitter reply.

"What, more secrets, Hermione? Even now?" Hermione closed her eyes, trying to figure out how to make Harry understand that it wasn't as simple as it seemed.

"Look, Harry…have you told anyone about what happened back there? The part about Snape and Malfoy?" she specified.

"Haven't had the chance yet," he replied, "Mrs. Weasley shoved dreamless sleep potion down our throats faster than you can say 'quidditch.' Ron and I only just woke up before you showed up, and we haven't been able to leave. Which, I guess, brings about question number two, how do you get out of this damn room?"

"It has a couple passwords…" Hermione muttered, but she wasn't really paying attention anymore. She'd realized what was wrong. How could she have been so stupid? Snape would have been blamed for everything that went wrong. He would have been punished. But if Harry and Ron got away, and Lucius Malfoy told them what Snape had been doing all year…

Hermione jumped up. She had to find out what happened to him.

"Where are you going?" came Ron's confused query. But Hermione was already at the door. Quickly saying the passwords, she departed the room, Harry and Ron fast at her heels. She had barely gone two steps however, when she crashed into a figure turning the corner. It was Lupin. He put out a hand to steady her.

"Whoa, Hermione, slow down," he admonished gently, "how are you feeling? Is everything alright?" He noticed the scared look on her face.

"Where is he?" she asked immediately, ignoring his questions. Harry and Ron exchanged bewildered looks.

"Hermione…where's who?" Ron asked. She didn't respond. She knew Lupin would know exactly who she meant.

"I was just coming to find you," Lupin's voice was subdued. "He's asking for you."

Hermione didn't wait another second. She darted around Lupin and went through another door a few down from where they had been. Lupin, however, held out a hand to stop Harry and Ron.

"Leave her be, for the moment, until some of us can explain what's going on," he warned them. He turned to head towards the stairs. "Come, let's go get some breakfast…Harry?" Harry had dashed past Lupin when he turned and was opening the door Hermione had just disappeared into. "Harry!"

But it was too late. Harry entered the room and was met with a sight that shocked him more than anything else had. Hermione was standing on one side of the bed, Molly Weasley on the other. Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt were conversing in low tones in the corner opposite the door. Hermione took the hand of the person lying in the bed, leaned down close, and began speaking in a quiet voice.

It was Snape.

He seemed to hear her but was fading in and out of consciousness as far as Harry could tell.

"Professor?" Hermione called to him, but he was back in an unconscious slumber.

"What's happened to him? How did he even make it back like this?" she demanded of the people surrounding him.

"About half an hour after you all showed up, Draco Malfoy apparated with him," Tonks offered. "But he couldn't tell us what happened. He thought Severus was dead apparently when he first took a portkey to the Forbidden Forest, but he never actually heard what curse or spell Voldemort hit him with."

Hermione understood in a heartbeat. Voldemort had tried to kill Snape, and he had feigned death or fell unconscious. He must have taken some of the potion, and it was keeping him alive, but only just. Draco, not knowing about its existence, didn't understand any of this.

"Dumbledore appeared soon after, Harmony had summoned him when you lot appeared," Kingsley offered.

"Where is he now?" Hermione breathed.

"He went back to Hogwarts," Tonks said, sounding confused. "Wouldn't say exactly why…just that he needed to look for something in Snape's lab or office or something."

"Now? At a time like this?" Hermione didn't understand. Why would Dumbledore leave Snape here like this for hours, clearly dying?

"Hermione…" Hermione whipped around as Snape's raspy voice barely reached her ears, though she was only standing a couple feet away from him.

"What is it?" she leaned close again, anxious to hear.

"Our notes…here…not Hogwarts…" and he was back into the realm of unconsciousness.

"What did he say?" Kingsley asked, but Hermione didn't pay him any heed. She was already dashing towards the door. She paused, however, when she reached Harry, whose presence she had thus far ignored.

"You shouldn't be here, Harry," she said. "Not until we have the chance to sit down and talk." She turned to leave and then stopped again. "Remus, where's Draco?"

"Two doors over," he pointed down the hall. Hermione didn't even knock but just barged in.

"Come with me," she said with no greeting at all first. Sensing her urgency, he quickly stood from where he had been sitting at a desk and followed her.

She led him downstairs and through the door which led down another flight of stairs to Snape's potions lab.

"What are we doing?" Draco gasped, out of breath.

"Remember the book of notes you once saw in Snape's quarters, the one you asked me about a long time ago?"

"Vaguely," Draco said, not understanding.

"We need to find it. It's here. But probably not somewhere you'd be likely to look, it's a very secret set of notes."

And so they began rummaging. They looked everywhere, expected or not. Cabinets of ingredients, shelves of potions books, insides of cauldrons, desk drawers, but the book was nowhere to be found.

"Have you looked in this cupboard here?" Draco asked, pointing at the far end of the lab. Hermione shook her head, close to tears. Time was becoming a serious factor.

"No, that cupboard isn't for storage, it's for…" she stopped, thinking quickly. Draco opened it anyway, and it was empty. Hurrying past him, she opened it herself.

There it was.

"Whoa! How did you do that?" Draco was impressed.

"That cupboard is enchanted, like the Room of Requirement. It only gives you what you need."

"So why couldn't I get it?" Draco asked.

"You didn't know what you were looking for, just that it was a book of notes," Hermione guessed. She was flipping frantically through pages upon pages of notes and failed outcomes, searching for a particular few.

Finally, she found what she was looking for. It was the page Snape had written the night Draco had first revealed his true feelings about Voldemort and tried to turn Snape in to Dumbledore. Hermione examined the recipe versus the final one they had written down just a few weeks ago, looking to see how the phoenix tear concentration had changed. As best as Hermione could tell, the same problem had occurred tonight. Snape had survived the brunt of the curse, but the aftershocks were slowly killing him. She couldn't administer the potion again, it wouldn't make a difference. But if she could add the proper amount of phoenix tears to a strengthening solution…well, there just might be a chance of saving him.

She did some quick math. It was obvious that, the larger the creature, the greater the concentration of phoenix tears had to be. She figured the approximate increase from the failed potion to the final and then multiplied that by the increased dosage they had figured for a human.

Opening the cabinet again, Hermione pulled out a vial of strengthening solution, thankful that it was something Snape kept stocked. But there were no phoenix tears.

She looked at the clock. It must have been hours since Draco brought Snape back, he couldn't have much longer. Did she have time to go to his lab at Hogwarts, find the vial, return and mix it properly, and get it to Snape? She stood there for several seconds, trying to figure out what to do, when the door to the lab opened and Professor Dumbledore walked down to them.

"Miss Granger," he smiled at her serenely, "I am ever so glad to see you again. And I have something I believe you might be needing, perhaps?" And he handed over the small bottle of tears. Hermione could have cried herself.

"How did you know?" she asked as she began measuring out the amount she needed, adding it to the strengthening solution.

"Well, I was unable to find the notes which I suspected would be helpful in healing Severus," he explained. "Finally it dawned on me that he must have left it here for more secure keeping. I was just about to leave when I realized that Severus' only supply of tears, however, was the one I gave him recently, and it was still at Hogwarts."

"Thank you, sir," Hermione said sincerely, stopping up the flask of solution. Together with Draco, they hurried upstairs and back to Snape's bedroom door.

Hermione approached the bed quietly.

"He's fading fast," Molly warned her. Hermione didn't need to be told twice.

"Professor?" she attempted to wake him up enough to swallow some of the strengthening solution. "Professor Snape?" Nothing. She felt to make sure he was still breathing. He was, but it was a labored, shallow breath. The pulse was rapid and faint.

"Severus." She didn't know why she thought it would work. But he responded to his first name like he hadn't to the title. He twitched a little and his breathing seemed to quicken. "Severus, wake up," she called softly.

With a strength he didn't know he had, Snape opened his eyes ever so slightly.

"I just need you to drink something, okay?" Hermione asked him. The slightest movement of his head sufficed as a nod for her. Lifting the flask to his lips, she poured some slowly into his mouth. He swallowed with an effort. He seemed to gain a little more energy from that, though Hermione couldn't be sure if it was just the strengthening part or if the tears were actually working. She poured a bit more and he swallowed faster this time. Relieved, she poured the remainder into his mouth.

The room was completely silent. Now they would have to wait. Having done all she could, Hermione did the only other thing she could think of. She climbed into the bed and lay down next to him, murmuring quietly, hoping beyond hope that it was enough.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

**A/N: So yeah…part one of their return…but Harry and Ron still don't know what's going on! So she'll have a lot of explaining to do in the next chapter I daresay…**

**Review!**

**Cheers!**


	34. Chapter 34

A/N: Thanks to my one reviewer and two people who put my story in their favorites lists ;-p

**Disclaimer: Once again…**

**Chapter 34**

Several minutes went by; Snape seemed to have drifted out again, though Hermione couldn't be sure if he was unconscious or merely asleep. Hermione listened carefully to his breathing, and she thought it sounded stronger than before, steadier. Draco sat in a chair next to the bed, keeping anxious watch over him, looking for any signs of improvement. For really, in many ways, both of these students owed him their lives several times over.

Molly Weasley, however, hovering nosily in the background, finally succumbed to her disapproval of seeing Hermione actually lying in the bed with Snape and spoke up.

"Hermione, dear, there seems to be little else we can do, why don't you go…" She trailed off as Hermione shot her a menacing look and stayed put.

"Molly," Dumbledore began quietly, "perhaps the rest of us should take your advice," he said kindly. "You've all spent hours tending to Professor Snape, and it seems to me that Hermione and Draco have it under control now. If anyone has a right to be here, it's them."

Molly looked about to retort, as Tonks and Kingsley made their way out into the hallway, but it was lost as Dumbledore gave her a look above his half-moon spectacles. Grumbling slightly, she followed suit. Dumbledore was the last to depart, first turning back and smiling reassuring at the pair.

Once he was gone, they sat quietly for a while. Hermione was continually listening for any signs of improvement or otherwise from Snape. Eventually, Draco addressed her.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly. "We haven't had the chance to, you know, just talk."

"I'm fine," Hermione smiled faintly at him.

"I mean…with what happened two nights ago…I just…" Draco didn't seem quite able to articulate the words.

Hermione sat up and took his hands in hers, looking deep into his eyes. "Draco, I told you, it doesn't matter to me. You already showed me your true self long before that. I was more upset that they brought Harry and Ron, it's just one more thing to explain to them. Speaking of which," she frowned, "I wonder what Remus did with them. I'm surprised they haven't come barging in yet demanding yours or Professor Snape's heads again."

Draco winced. "Yeah, I thought it better to stay out of the way after I got back for fear of my own life once they woke up."

Hermione smirked. "At this point, I think they're a tad more livid towards Professor Snape, but you definitely rank up there."

They sat in comfortable silence again for sometime before Draco, unable to contain the question any more, asked, "So what exactly happened to him?" gesturing towards Snape. "I would have sworn the Dark Lord hit him with the killing curse, but I never heard him say an incantation. When we portkeyed to the Forbidden Forest, I almost died of fright when I realized he wasn't dead."

Hermione paused, unsure. Could they tell Draco about the potion? She supposed they'd have to, everyone else would be wondering as well. And he _had_ proven that he could stand up to Voldemort's powers of legilimency.

"You know it has something to do with what we've been working on all year, I assume?" Draco nodded. "Well, Professor Snape and I, after months of work, developed a potion which counteracts the killing curse."

Draco stared at her, open-mouthed.

"But," she continued, "it didn't work as well as it should have. It had never been tested on a human, and the concentration of the primary ingredient wasn't strong enough in the final recipe we came up with. So rather than kill him outright, the curse severely weakened him and it got worse over time. What we've attempted to do," she explained, "is make up for the deficiency of that primary ingredient by adding it to a strengthening solution to help him fight the weakening effects that have been slowly killing him."

When he found his voice, Draco gasped, "Sweet Merlin…how…what…?" He paused to regain composure. "This is probably the most monumental discovery of the millennium! The two of you will be famous for centuries. Do you have any idea how long people have been seeking a way to counteract that curse?"

"You understand though," Hermione added urgently, "that this needs to stay in the Order. It may end up being our best chance when it comes to fighting You-Know-Who. We can't have word getting even to the Ministry, it would leak in a heartbeat."

"Until," came a quiet, raspy voice from behind them, "the Dark Lord realizes that I'm not dead."

Hermione squealed with delight and turned to face Snape. He looked awful, but more alert than he had since he was hit with the curse, Draco thought.

"How do you feel," Hermione demanded, adopting a business-like manner as she took on a nursing role. Snape smirked slightly at her.

"I'd say the potion needs some work," he whispered. Hermione conjured a glass of water and helped him to drink some. It seemed to do the trick, and his voice sounded stronger. "I feel like I've been beaten with a troll's club," he admitted, "but I feel alive."

"I was worried for a while there," Hermione said quietly.

"As was I," Snape told her, "until you showed up."

Hermione blushed at his compliment and said hurriedly, "well, it made perfect sense once I thought about it, I really didn't do much…"

Draco spoke for the first time since Snape had spoken. "I'll go find Professor Dumbledore," he offered, "and tell him you've woken up."

He disappeared out the door after Snape's nod of assent.

"What will you do?" Hermione asked. "If You-Know-Who thinks you're dead…"

"That will be for Albus and I to discuss," Snape told her. "But I wouldn't be surprised if you find yourself with a new Potions professor for a while, probably the rest of the term."

Hermione smiled faintly. "You deserve a vacation anyway." Snape snorted, which turned into more of a cough. Hermione gave him some more water.

"If you call spending all of my time brewing potions to counter the killing curse a vacation, than absolutely."

There was a tap on the door and it opened, revealing Dumbledore, smiling broadly.

"Ah, Severus," his eyes twinkled, "how wonderful to see your strength returning." He turned to Hermione. "Miss Granger, I do believe Misters Potter and Weasley are becoming quite anxious to speak with you, I understand Remus was forced to lock them in their bedroom. I daresay the three of you have _much_ to talk about, as do I with Professor Snape. Oh, and Miss Granger?"

"Yes?"

"I daresay poor Mssrs. Potter and Weasley have been living in suspense for long enough. As Voldemort seems to have exhausted his use for Professor Snape, I would hazard that it is acceptable for you to tell them anything you wish."

"Of course, sir," Hermione stood to leave, before turning and looking once more at Snape.

"I'm glad to see you're alright," she said genuinely.

"And I, you," he returned.

With that, she was gone.

"She's a remarkable witch," Dumbledore observed. "Very much like another we once knew."

"Indeed," Snape agreed slowly.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

Hermione tapped hesitantly on the door once again before entering. As she walked in, she was relieved to see that no one looked too livid. Harry, Ron, and Remus sat eating breakfast, and all three looked up as she entered the room with an apologetic smile on her face.

"How is Severus?" Lupin asked concernedly, while Harry struggled to maintain a look of neutrality at the mention of his name. Hermione guessed that Remus had threatened him fairly thoroughly based on his expression.

"He's speaking with Professor Dumbledore," Hermione smiled. "It looks like he's going to be alright, though he still seems pretty weakened from the curse."

"So was Severus able to tell you what curse it was? Draco was so convinced that it was the killing curse until they got to the Forbidden Forest and he moved," Lupin looked puzzled.

Hermione opened and then closed her mouth again. She looked around and Harry and Ron, both of whom seemed impatient to get a fuller understanding of everything that had happened. And, as she stood there, Hermione realized that understanding everything would require going so much deeper than just the events of the last couple weeks. With a sigh, she began.

"I suppose that's a good a place as any to start," she murmured, half to herself. "I'm sorry, I truly am," she directed this at Harry and Ron. "There has been so much I haven't been able to tell you in the past several months, but so much hindered on You-Know-Who not finding out about certain things, we couldn't even start to risk letting more people in on it than already were." She then turned her focus back to answer Lupin's question.

"Draco was not mistaken, You-Know-Who was trying to kill Professor Snape; he _did_ cast the killing curse at him."

Everyone in the room started and then sat in confused, somewhat stunned silence.

"That's impossible," Harry murmured. "How could he possibly have survived Voldemort casting _Avada Kedavra_?" he looked pensive. "Unless there's more to it, some deeper magic like what happened for me when my mum died…" he trailed off, looking contemplative.

"Not exactly," Hermione said gently. "While this isn't the beginning of the story, I may as well start here. You see, for the past several months, an attempt has been made to develop a functioning counter to the killing curse…in the form of a potion. That attempt was finally successful right around the time that you two were kidnapped. It didn't work as well as it could have, severely weakening Professor Snape- it was the first time it had been tested on a human, you see?- and he would have died, but with the right form of altered strengthening solution, he should make a quick recovery."

More silence greeted her, as the others took in the fact that an effective counter to the killing curse had finally, after centuries, been developed.

"The Order hasn't even been made aware of this development," Lupin frowned. "When did you learn about it?"

Hermione shrugged abashedly. "I helped make it, though Professor Snape did most of the work, obviously."

"Wait, you and Snape?" Ron spoke up for the first time since Hermione entered the room. "Is that where you kept disappearing to, all those nights for months? To work with Snape?"

Hermione sighed and his and Harry's lack of ability to put two and two together. Quietly, she said, "come now, Ron, Harry, do you _really_ think something like what Malfoy said about Professor Snape could have happened right under Professor Dumbledore's nose? For months?" Harry and Ron stared at her distrust of her defense of Snape evident on their faces, while Lupin looked mildly curious.

"And what did Malfoy say? Lucius, I presume?" he asked lightly.

"Yes. He told them exactly what he was encouraged to believe since October or so: that Professor Snape threatened me into silence and was summoning me to spend nights in his quarters in the dungeons. And it's true, I _was_ spending nights down there, to work on the potion or to practice occlumency with Draco."

"You know," Harry admitted wryly, "I suspected that you'd somehow gotten yourself involved in occlumency, though obviously I didn't say anything because they would have heard me. But for you to convince Voldemort that you were really going to kill Ron," he broke off and shuddered at the memory, looking disturbed. Lupin looked confused once more and Hermione sighed, realizing they'd have to explain that as well.

"But, Hermione," Ron sounded confused and there was an emotion present in his voice that Hermione couldn't quite pick out, "even if that does explain Snape's part in all of this, what about Malfoy? I mean he…he raped you and…" he was cut off abruptly when Lupin jumped up and began spluttering in outrage.

"What…? Hermione, why didn't you say…? I swear I'll kill Lucius for laying so much as a finger…" he was cut off by Harry.

"Not Lucius," he said harshly. "Draco. And he's still walking freely around this house."

Lupin was speechless as he stared at Hermione aghast. She was trying to figure out how to explain to them what had really happened, below the surface.

"Look, Remus, it's not like that, okay?" she hastily tried to calm him, lest he run off and attempt to murder Draco as he had threatened to do to Lucius.

Harry laughed scathingly. "You're amazing, Hermione. Even after he committed the worst possible violation of your self, you refuse to do anything, say anything…"

"It's not rape if I consented to it," Hermione said quietly, interrupting Harry's tirade.

"You _consented_?" Ron's tone was a mixture of disbelief and possibly disgust.

"When you were captured, I worked with Professor Snape and Draco who, by the way, has been loyal to our side for some months now, to formulate a plan by which Draco would 'capture' me and deliver me to Lucius. Knowing that last night's ritual could not be properly done with anti-apparition wards up, the idea was to wait until then and apparate with both of you to safety. Obviously, the plan worked relatively well, I think you'll agree," she added coolly. "One thing Draco warned me of was _that_ possibility. I told him it didn't matter to me, as long as I got you free. And yes, when the alternative option was for Draco to be killed on the spot and some _other_ Death Eater, one who is not actually loyal to our side, to have the same opportunity…well, I think that's reason enough to call it 'consensual.'" She paused for a moment, then added quietly, "We've been friends for some time now. He wasn't about to hurt me." She hoped her words were at least some reassurance to Harry and Ron.

The room remained silent for several long moments. Lupin looked mildly disturbed, but accepting. Harry and Ron both looked like they were trying to understand, but they had missed so much, there were so many things she needed to tell them so they could fully comprehend, they had little chance. Finally, Harry spoke up again.

"I think," he said calmly, "it's time for you to start at the beginning, Hermione."

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

**A/N: Sorry. I know I colossally fail at life and all, but I always have a really hard time transition back in to writing when school starts back up…moving in and starting classes and what not, other things just end up getting done and this gets pushed aside… :-( **

**On that note, however, I hope you enjoyed that. Reviewing is always a good way to let me know if you did…nudge nudge wink wink**

**Until next time! Cheers!**


	35. Chapter 35

Disclaimer: Not mine. We know this.

**Chapter 35**

Finally, Hermione was able to begin her story which encompassed almost the last year of her life. After all that time of hard work and keeping secrets from Harry and Ron, she was relieved to get it off of her chest. Even Remus appeared surprised at some of it.

"It all started last summer, as you might have guessed by now," she started. Ron's eyes widened; apparently he had not yet made the connection. Harry, however, nodded shrewdly. Hermione was not surprised.

"Professor Snape learned of a plan to kidnap me, probably with the ultimate goal of luring you to You-Know-Who," she pointed out to Harry. "He risked his own life and showed up just in time to grab me and bring me here. He returned to my house, altered the minds of any relevant death eaters, and came back. I, of course, had no clue what was happening. I thought he was just another death eater who wanted to kill me."

"So _that's_ why you know your way around here," Ron realized. "You stayed here all summer…with Snape."

Hermione nodded and shrugged apologetically. "It was too risky. If I was at Grimmauld Place, Professor Dumbledore was worried that someone like Mundungus could say just the wrong thing at the wrong time and ruin the whole game. It wouldn't take You-Know-Who long to determine which death eater had betrayed him. This house," she gestured around her, "is safe. Protected by the fidelius charm, as you both know now, secret rooms, it wasn't a place where I would ever be found. And just in case, I spent most of my time in this very room, hidden from the outside and nearly impossible to find if you don't know where it is."

Hermione took a breath. Harry and Ron seemed interested now, open to the truth. Which was good, because the next part could be harder to hear.

"Around the time of your birthday, Harry, things began to change. We started out the summer distant, avoiding each other to the greatest possible extent, only seeing one another at meals, if even that. After your birthday, when my parents were attacked and Tonks was hurt…" she trailed off, remembering something.

"Actually, I'm surprised you didn't figure something out then," she mused. "When Professor Snape knew exactly where I was, even though it was secret, and he was the one who knew that I'd start freaking out- he was the one who came and told me what had actually happened. And no one questioned even what he was doing there." She continued. "Anyway, after that, there was one night where he came back very late, and extremely injured. I helped him heal his wounds as much as possible, so he was strong enough to go to Grimmauld Place and get it done properly. And after that, we developed something of a working partnership which led eventually to…friendship, I suppose," she finished quietly.

"Friends?" Harry asked skeptically. "You and Sn- Professor Snape?"

"Why not?" Hermione asked lightly. "We were stuck here together for months with no other company. We actually have similar interests and habits," she pointed out. "Very academically oriented, particular interest in potions…well, it turned out I had something he needed." Harry gave her a quizzical look. "Third year, with the time-turner, I'd done some, er, extracurricular experiments," she looked sheepish. "I had data that proved helpful to completing the first stage of developing a potion to counter the killing curse."

"So then what happened?" Harry asked.

"Nothing," she replied. "Summer ended. We returned to Hogwarts, and school resumed as it always had. For a while at least." She looked at the two of them, wondering if they'd recall a conversation they overheard and shared with her many months ago. "Do you remember hearing Professors Dumbledore and Snape talking one day, at Grimmauld Place, about some memories Professor Dumbledore thought he ought to put in a pensieve?"

Harry eyed her confusedly. Obviously not. It was Ron this time, however, who spoke up.

"I think I do," he said slowly, "at least part of it. We thought Snape had a girlfriend," he struggled to hold back the snicker. "Dumbledore mentioned something about a girl being with him."

Hermione raised her eyebrows and looked at him. It took a few more seconds, but the connection was made.

"Oh," was all Ron said.

"I think I understand now," Harry murmured. "Voldemort _did_ see you, didn't he?" he asked. "He saw you in Snape's head. And that's why you…" he couldn't finish the thought. Even though he now knew it wasn't true, he was repulsed by the idea of the façade they had put on for Lucius Malfoy's sake.

Hermione nodded. "It's true, that's how things started out. It was awkward at first, but we eventually started working together again, and spent hours a week trying to complete the potion. In classes, I began acting differently, more subdued, for Draco's sake," she laughed a bit. "That ended oddly."

"So Draco wasn't on our side at the beginning of the year?" Harry asked. "What made you think you could trust him?"

"Funny how things work, actually," Hermione grinned. "He was so disturbed by what he thought Professor Snape was doing to _me_, that he wrote a letter to Professor Dumbledore to warn him. It was history from there. He convinced us of his lack of loyalty to You-Know-Who and his father, and he finally believed us that Professor Snape was, in fact, working on the side of the Order. We realized then the essentiality for occlumency lessons. I began spending even more nights in the dungeons, either working on the potion with Professor Snape, or learning occlumency with Draco, or practicing apparition here with Professor Snape and Remus here," she nodded towards Lupin, sitting silently and listening quietly.

"That's about everything up until you were kidnapped in Hogsmeade," she said quietly.

"Whose idea was it for you to be brought in as well? You said you all worked to plan it, but whose idea was it really?" Harry seemed concerned that Malfoy or Snape would have purposely put her in harm's way.

Hermione reassured him to the contrary. "It was completely my idea," she told him. "I had to fight to make them believe it was the only good way. But with the potion ready, and the months spent learning to apparate and to block my mind, there was no other way." She sighed. "I just can't believe I didn't realize what it would mean for Professor Snape," she whispered. "If that potion had failed; it almost did, for that matter," she shuddered. "His death would have been my fault."

"And Professor Dumbledore didn't realize this either?" Remus frowned.

Hermione smiled abashedly. "We didn't tell him," she said. "It wasn't until I was already gone and Hagrid had caught Draco and Blaise Zabini coming back from Hogsmeade in the middle of the night that he realized what had happened," she informed them ruefully.

"So when Snape came in the room the morning you were taken…?" Ron trailed off.

"A test," she said lightly. "Making sure my occlumency would hold up under the pressure of being there, being tested by You-Know-Who. Also," she theorized, "probably to eliminate any doubt in either of your minds that he really was on the side of You-Know-Who."

"And then when you disappeared for a few hours a few days later…?"

"Planning how to best escape with you two on the night of the ritual."

"Ah."

Harry put everything else together then. "So he slipped the note into the _Prophet_ with the location of this place," he ascertained. "Did he also put some of that potion in our drinks earlier that night?" he guessed. She nodded. "I think I owe Professor Snape an apology," Harry murmured quietly, surprising and pleasing Hermione.

"But," he continued, making Hermione wince, "there's still something I can't quite wrap my mind around."

"Draco?" Hermione guessed.

"Yes, Draco," Harry said, somewhat bewildered. "You went from nearly enemies to good friends in a very short time."

"We shared a common secret," Hermione explained honestly, "and neither of us could confide anything in our friends. Really though," she thought, "Draco didn't have friends, to speak of, just class mates he had to put on a show of loyalty for, towards a dark lord he didn't believe in. It was quite difficult for him, and we spent a lot of time together. It was only natural that we'd get close."

Harry looked tormented, unsure whether he really wanted to say whatever was on his mind.

"What is it?" Hermione asked quietly.

"It's just that," he paused, searching for the right words. "You said he warned you of the possibility that a death eater would…would rape you," he struggled to say it. "But, Hermione, what if it had been any other death eater? One who truly wanted to hurt you? One who assumed that Snape had been using you all year…?" he trailed off, clearly uncomfortable, as were the other two in the room with Hermione.

She hesitated, unsure how to phrase it in a delicate way that wouldn't anger anyone too much. Not that it was really any of their business, she realized, but nonetheless…

"We considered that," she said carefully. "And took the appropriate measures, just in case."

Silence reigned supreme.

Harry jerked his head tersely. "Thank you," he said quietly.

"For what?" Hermione asked, surprised.

"Being honest about everything," he said sincerely. "It can't have been easy to go through all of that, and I know we've hardly made it any easier," he gestured between himself and Ron with a rueful expression on his face.

Hermione focused on Ron's face. It had a different look than Harry's. Not an angry one but…accepting, perhaps, somewhat glum. And Hermione thought she understood when he gave her a sad smile, but did not comment. Yes, she realized, Ron was fighting with his own attraction towards her, and was struggling with this recent development in relation to that.

"Anything else?" she asked. She couldn't even imagine at this point what any of them could have to ask her.

"Thanks for saving our lives," Ron grinned slightly.

"Yeah," Harry laughed, "thanks for that." Hermione joined in with their laughter and hugged them both tightly.

"You're very welcome," she smiled. Things were back to normal as much as possible.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

The rest of that day passed by fairly quickly. A few order members were in and out to give periodic updates, but very few knew the actual location of the house, and so things were not in quite as much hustle and bustle as Hermione feared. She was exhausted, and so were all the others who partook in the events of the last several days.

Professor Snape was recovering with surprising speed. In mere hours, he was able to get up from the bed, and he joined the rest of the company for dinner. By that time, it was only Hermione, Harry, Ron, Draco, Remus, Tonks, and Kingsley left at Prince Manor with Snape, as well as, of course, Harmony the house elf. As far as Hermione was concerned, however, the most touching scene of the night was shortly before dinner.

"Hermione," Harry had said, "I was serious about owing Professor Snape an apology."

Hermione looked at him questioningly.

"So, erm…" he stuttered, "I was wondering if you might take me to see if…you know…I can talk to him quickly…if he's feeling up to it," he added hastily.

Pleased by the idea and glad to see that Harry was finally maturing past years-old prejudices, she consented to see if he was awake in his room.

"Enter," Professor Snape called when Hermione tapped quietly on the door. She walked in, leaving the door slightly open, and was surprised to see that Snape was sitting at a desk and shuffling through old papers and notes.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him skeptically. He gave the closest thing to a laugh that he ever gave.

"So distrustful of me, Miss Granger! Never fear, I assured Professor Dumbledore that I would remain in bed until I felt up to moving around or until I was ready to tear my hair out from boredom. Such was the case that both were true, and so here I am, getting a head start on improving our recipe for the potion against the killing curse."

Hermione shook her head bemusedly, not surprised. "Harry's here to see you," she said. Snape abruptly stopped flipping through papers and looked up at her. He raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"Oh?" She nodded and gave a half smile. "Well send him in then," he indicated she should open the door.

"Mr. Potter, I trust you are well," he acknowledged his presence in a much more civilized manner than Harry was used to, catching him off of his guard.

"Erm, yes, sir, thank you. You are feeling better as well?"

Snape nodded gravely. "I owe my life to Miss Granger here," he pointed out somberly. "You are lucky to have such a friend at your side," he said pointedly.

Harry looked at Hermione and smiled. She took her cue and left, leaving Harry to speak privately with Snape. As she exited the room, however, she did hear Harry's reply.

"Indeed I am, sir, and I shall be careful never to forget that. I owe her my life too, as I do to you as well."

Hermione wandered down the hallway, not looking for anything in particular, but finding herself outside of Draco's door. She felt bad, realizing how out of place Draco must feel with these Order members, and Harry and Ron who had never liked him anyway. She had been hesitant to suggest they include Draco in their discussions of the last few hours, knowing how Ron felt about it, and unsure if Harry would so quickly overcome years of antagonizing.

She raised a hand to knock on his door, but stopped short when she realized there were voices coming from inside. They were both male and she assumed one was Draco, but she couldn't make the second one out.

She hesitated, unsure whether she should leave him be to whatever discussion he was having, but it turned out to be unnecessary. Seconds later, as she stood there contemplating, the door opened in front of her, and she found herself face-to-face with Remus Lupin.

"Oh!" she said in surprise. "Remus, I was just coming to see if Draco was around…" she trailed off awkwardly, wondering if he thought she'd been eavesdropping. The smile on his face told her otherwise, however. He stood aside, allowing her to enter, where she found Draco perched on the edge of his bed.

"Hey," he smiled wearily at her. "Long day."

"Tell me about it," she sighed and sat next to him. She looked him up and down, noticing the worried expression behind his eyes that he tried to hide from her. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Just tired is all," he replied lamely.

She looked at him mistrustfully. "Why was Remus here?" she asked, suddenly suspicious.

"Just following up on some things," he replied. Again, there was a hint of bitterness to his answer, but not blatantly. Hermione turned and faced him directly, looking him in the eye.

"Draco, what is it?" she asked. "You're upset by something."

He sighed. "No, not exactly, it's just…well, I'm surprised you didn't ask me first, before he did, is all." He looked at her pointedly. She didn't understand.

"I didn't ask you what, Draco?" she asked in confusion. He stared at her for a long moment, and when her face registered no sign of comprehension, he sighed again.

"He was here to ask if there was any possibility that you could be pregnant, Hermione."

She blinked once in surprise.

"I…it never even…I never thought about…I figured…" her mind was working a million miles an hour, trying to figure out how she'd missed that. There was silence for several tense seconds. "Well?" she finally prompted. "Is there?"

"Of course not!" he exclaimed, "I was smarter than that, both times."

"Then what are you worried about?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Because," Draco cried out, "at some point this is all going to catch up with you and you're going to be horrified and what happened. At what I did to you!"

"Draco!" Hermione practically yelled back at him. "Stop! I told you, it doesn't matter to me. You didn't hurt me, you didn't do anything against my will. My choices too, Draco, not just yours."

They stared each other down for several long seconds. Finally, Hermione sighed and checked the time.

"It's time for dinner," she pointed out. "Care to join us?"

Draco stared at her for a few more seconds before smiling lightly. "Crazy Gryffindors," he muttered, but stood up and headed for the door with her.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

Late that night, after Harry and Ron fell asleep, Hermione found her self restless, despite the wearying day she had just experienced. Deciding she needed a good book to relax, she quietly exited her room and headed up the winding staircase ending in the library.

Once there, she spent a good five minutes just deciding which section to start in. Once she'd settled on magical creatures, she then perused the shelves and shelves dedicated to just that topic. Eventually, she found one that appealed, on a shelf several feet above her head. Seeing no stool or ladder to reach it, she reached for her wand.

As she drew it to perform the _accio_ spell, a longer arm reached up over her head and grabbed the very book she had been attempting to reach, scaring Hermione half out of her wits.

She spun and found herself staring up into the cool grey eyes of Draco Malfoy. Breathing heavily from the scare he'd given her, she took a few seconds, while catching her breath, to analyze those eyes. So similar to another pair in physical appearance, but the emotions behind them were so different, pain and confusion evident in these eyes, two things she expected were rarely, if ever seen in the eyes of Lucius Malfoy.

Hermione understood the pain. At least, she thought she did. Torn between his family and his beliefs, trapped among school mates who looked up to him as the leader of the next generation of death eaters, when all he wanted was to stand away from Voldemort, fight for his own beliefs…forced to do things he didn't want to…

But the confusion…some of it was due to similar reasons. But it was her, he regarded with confusion, she realized now. Her. He was confused about her.

Slowly, he handed her the book, and she took it, smiling her thanks.

"What is it, Draco?"

A series of new emotions flitted across those eyes, and Hermione was hard pressed to try to identify them.

"I couldn't sleep either," she told him quietly. "What's wrong?"

He took a breath. It seemed to be the first time he'd moved since she turned around.

"I was curious about something you said earlier," he murmured.

"What's that?"

"You said 'my choices too, not just yours.' But how is it a choice when you must realize that you have no other option?" He looked honestly perplexed but…something else.

Hermione felt a nervous jolt in her stomach. She'd avoided extensive discussion about this for several reasons. And that was one of them. When she didn't answer, Draco's face fell and his eyes became much colder.

"You understand now why it bothers me so much that I-," he stopped speaking abruptly when Hermione reached up and put a hand on either side of his face. Slowly, she lowered his face to hers and placed one soft, gentle kiss on his lips.

She pulled back and looked at his eyes. Even more confused now.

"It was a choice," she whispered, "because even if I'd had another option, I wouldn't have taken it."

His eyes widened as he tried to process her meaning. She saw several of the same emotions fly across his face, and she recognized more of them; hope, desire, affection…

She smiled softly at him, and it was enough. He pulled her lips back up to his and kissed her passionately this time, and she did not pull away.

The two gained control of themselves and moved to a comfortable sofa in the library to talk and lay in each others arms. Neither noticed the pair of black onyx eyes which watched them from behind another shelf.

*THE END*THE END*THE END*THE END*THE END*THE END*

**Agh. Wow. I'm done. More than three years of writing that fic. I thank all of my faithful readers who never gave up on me in all that time, and I thank all of the new ones who just started one chapter ago but read the whole thing in one sitting. And of course, I thank all of the ones who are just stumbling on to my little story here. **

**Please review! This is the longest and most complex story I've written, and I'd like to know how I've done. So please, give me some kind of feedback!**

**Funny thing, I hadn't decided how to end it until I was at the final scene. It all just seemed to fall in to place. I hope I lived up to most expectations.**

**I know many were hoping for a Hermione/Snape ending. I actually considered writing an alternate final chapter…anyone interested? **

**Thanks again so much! Until next time!**

***~Lexi Lupin~***


	36. Alternate Ending

**Disclaimer: It's all Rowling's**

**VERY IMPORTANT A/N: So, like I said, I considered doing an alternate final chapter if anyone was interested. Several people were VERY interested and just couldn't live without seeing Hermione and Snape get together, so I have consented, and shall tackle this whole-heartedly. **

**Having said that though…I did state from the beginning that this wouldn't be an HG/SS fic for several reasons. As much as I like HG/SS pairings, I was attempting to stay as much in the realm of Rowling similarity as possible. Obviously, several aspects of this were compromised for plot purposes, but I'd like to think (at least based on most reviews) that I did a decent job portraying characters, even Snape, when he's interacting with pretty much anyone BUT Hermione. Somehow though, Snape and Hermione often being championed in fanfic as two of the smartest wizards, it never seemed realistic to me that, with all that intelligence, the two would **_**actually**_** get together. The whole student/professor thing would be too much of a barrier for either of them to truly consider it **_**and**_** act upon it.**

**I tried to portray a sense of attraction on Snape's part…subtly, to be sure, but there…the whole thing in chapter 11 about him not wanting to put memories of her in a pensieve, several scenes with some kind of tension between them, putting an arm around her in bed one night (completely unnecessary for logical purposes!), and finally, the comment Dumbledore makes in chapter 34: **

"She's a remarkable witch," Dumbledore observed. "Very much like another we once knew." "Indeed," Snape agreed slowly.

**I was hoping people would pick up on this as a subtle homage to Lily…but no one commented on it, so perhaps it went unnoticed. In any case, this was supposed to show Snape's inner conflict about it, what he'd been battling with the whole year, and then in the final chapter, his witnessing the scene in the library was my way of showing his acceptance, his letting go, even despite Dumbledore's acknowledgement. **

**I wanted to explain all of that before you read the alternate ending. The original will always be my preferred and true ending. However, I am a pretty big reader of HG/SS fics myself (funny how I could never write one though) and I think I can do it justice as best as possible, while remaining consistent to the rest of the story (even explaining a few things that I already mentioned here!). **

**If you like the ending how it was, I would recommend you not read this one; it's not MY true ending. But, for those who just must see the months of sexual tension between Hermione and Snape come full circle, read on! **

**One last thing: Lara Malfoy-Lynne, I understand your point, but my character posting was not based on romance but on who the actual main characters were. Draco was a fairly minor character through most of the story, and it seemed odd to post him as a major player when he didn't even show up consistently until chapter 18. Sorry if it threw you off though! :-( **

**For this, the beginning will be exactly the same, only the final scene will change. If you don't want to reread the scenes with Harry and Ron and Hermione and Draco, jump ahead to the *******. **

**Alternate Ending **

Finally, Hermione was able to begin her story which encompassed almost the last year of her life. After all that time of hard work and keeping secrets from Harry and Ron, she was relieved to get it off of her chest. Even Remus appeared surprised at some of it.

"It all started last summer, as you might have guessed by now," she started. Ron's eyes widened; apparently he had not yet made the connection. Harry, however, nodded shrewdly. Hermione was not surprised.

"Professor Snape learned of a plan to kidnap me, probably with the ultimate goal of luring you to You-Know-Who," she pointed out to Harry. "He risked his own life and showed up just in time to grab me and bring me here. He returned to my house, altered the minds of any relevant death eaters, and came back. I, of course, had no clue what was happening. I thought he was just another death eater who wanted to kill me."

"So _that's_ why you know your way around here," Ron realized. "You stayed here all summer…with Snape."

Hermione nodded and shrugged apologetically. "It was too risky. If I was at Grimmauld Place, Professor Dumbledore was worried that someone like Mundungus could say just the wrong thing at the wrong time and ruin the whole game. It wouldn't take You-Know-Who long to determine which death eater had betrayed him. This house," she gestured around her, "is safe. Protected by the fidelius charm, as you both know now, secret rooms, it wasn't a place where I would ever be found. And just in case, I spent most of my time in this very room, hidden from the outside and nearly impossible to find if you don't know where it is."

Hermione took a breath. Harry and Ron seemed interested now, open to the truth. Which was good, because the next part could be harder to hear.

"Around the time of your birthday, Harry, things began to change. We started out the summer distant, avoiding each other to the greatest possible extent, only seeing one another at meals, if even that. After your birthday, when my parents were attacked and Tonks was hurt…" she trailed off, remembering something.

"Actually, I'm surprised you didn't figure something out then," she mused. "When Professor Snape knew exactly where I was, even though it was secret, and he was the one who knew that I'd start freaking out- he was the one who came and told me what had actually happened. And no one questioned even what he was doing there." She continued. "Anyway, after that, there was one night where he came back very late, and extremely injured. I helped him heal his wounds as much as possible, so he was strong enough to go to Grimmauld Place and get it done properly. And after that, we developed something of a working partnership which led eventually to…friendship, I suppose," she finished quietly.

"Friends?" Harry asked skeptically. "You and Sn- Professor Snape?"

"Why not?" Hermione asked lightly. "We were stuck here together for months with no other company. We actually have similar interests and habits," she pointed out. "Very academically oriented, particular interest in potions…well, it turned out I had something he needed." Harry gave her a quizzical look. "Third year, with the time-turner, I'd done some, er, extracurricular experiments," she looked sheepish. "I had data that proved helpful to completing the first stage of developing a potion to counter the killing curse."

"So then what happened?" Harry asked.

"Nothing," she replied. "Summer ended. We returned to Hogwarts, and school resumed as it always had. For a while at least." She looked at the two of them, wondering if they'd recall a conversation they overheard and shared with her many months ago. "Do you remember hearing Professors Dumbledore and Snape talking one day, at Grimmauld Place, about some memories Professor Dumbledore thought he ought to put in a pensieve?"

Harry eyed her confusedly. Obviously not. It was Ron this time, however, who spoke up.

"I think I do," he said slowly, "at least part of it. We thought Snape had a girlfriend," he struggled to hold back the snicker. "Dumbledore mentioned something about a girl being with him."

Hermione raised her eyebrows and looked at him. It took a few more seconds, but the connection was made.

"Oh," was all Ron said.

"I think I understand now," Harry murmured. "Voldemort _did_ see you, didn't he?" he asked. "He saw you in Snape's head. And that's why you…" he couldn't finish the thought. Even though he now knew it wasn't true, he was repulsed by the idea of the façade they had put on for Lucius Malfoy's sake.

Hermione nodded. "It's true, that's how things started out. It was awkward at first, but we eventually started working together again, and spent hours a week trying to complete the potion. In classes, I began acting differently, more subdued, for Draco's sake," she laughed a bit. "That ended oddly."

"So Draco wasn't on our side at the beginning of the year?" Harry asked. "What made you think you could trust him?"

"Funny how things work, actually," Hermione grinned. "He was so disturbed by what he thought Professor Snape was doing to _me_, that he wrote a letter to Professor Dumbledore to warn him. It was history from there. He convinced us of his lack of loyalty to You-Know-Who and his father, and he finally believed us that Professor Snape was, in fact, working on the side of the Order. We realized then the essentiality for occlumency lessons. I began spending even more nights in the dungeons, either working on the potion with Professor Snape, or learning occlumency with Draco, or practicing apparition here with Professor Snape and Remus here," she nodded towards Lupin, sitting silently and listening quietly.

"That's about everything up until you were kidnapped in Hogsmeade," she said quietly.

"Whose idea was it for you to be brought in as well? You said you all worked to plan it, but whose idea was it really?" Harry seemed concerned that Malfoy or Snape would have purposely put her in harm's way.

Hermione reassured him to the contrary. "It was completely my idea," she told him. "I had to fight to make them believe it was the only good way. But with the potion ready, and the months spent learning to apparate and to block my mind, there was no other way." She sighed. "I just can't believe I didn't realize what it would mean for Professor Snape," she whispered. "If that potion had failed; it almost did, for that matter," she shuddered. "His death would have been my fault."

"And Professor Dumbledore didn't realize this either?" Remus frowned.

Hermione smiled abashedly. "We didn't tell him," she said. "It wasn't until I was already gone and Hagrid had caught Draco and Blaise Zabini coming back from Hogsmeade in the middle of the night that he realized what had happened," she informed them ruefully.

"So when Snape came in the room the morning you were taken…?" Ron trailed off.

"A test," she said lightly. "Making sure my occlumency would hold up under the pressure of being there, being tested by You-Know-Who. Also," she theorized, "probably to eliminate any doubt in either of your minds that he really was on the side of You-Know-Who."

"And then when you disappeared for a few hours a few days later…?"

"Planning how to best escape with you two on the night of the ritual."

"Ah."

Harry put everything else together then. "So he slipped the note into the _Prophet_ with the location of this place," he ascertained. "Did he also put some of that potion in our drinks earlier that night?" he guessed. She nodded. "I think I owe Professor Snape an apology," Harry murmured quietly, surprising and pleasing Hermione.

"But," he continued, making Hermione wince, "there's still something I can't quite wrap my mind around."

"Draco?" Hermione guessed.

"Yes, Draco," Harry said, somewhat bewildered. "You went from nearly enemies to good friends in a very short time."

"We shared a common secret," Hermione explained honestly, "and neither of us could confide anything in our friends. Really though," she thought, "Draco didn't have friends, to speak of, just class mates he had to put on a show of loyalty for, towards a dark lord he didn't believe in. It was quite difficult for him, and we spent a lot of time together. It was only natural that we'd get close."

Harry looked tormented, unsure whether he really wanted to say whatever was on his mind.

"What is it?" Hermione asked quietly.

"It's just that," he paused, searching for the right words. "You said he warned you of the possibility that a death eater would…would rape you," he struggled to say it. "But, Hermione, what if it had been any other death eater? One who truly wanted to hurt you? One who assumed that Snape had been using you all year…?" he trailed off, clearly uncomfortable, as were the other two in the room with Hermione.

She hesitated, unsure how to phrase it in a delicate way that wouldn't anger anyone too much. Not that it was really any of their business, she realized, but nonetheless…

"We considered that," she said carefully. "And took the appropriate measures, just in case."

Silence reigned supreme.

Harry jerked his head tersely. "Thank you," he said quietly.

"For what?" Hermione asked, surprised.

"Being honest about everything," he said sincerely. "It can't have been easy to go through all of that, and I know we've hardly made it any easier," he gestured between himself and Ron with a rueful expression on his face.

Hermione focused on Ron's face. It had a different look than Harry's. Not an angry one but…accepting, perhaps, somewhat glum. And Hermione thought she understood when he gave her a sad smile, but did not comment. Yes, she realized, Ron was fighting with his own attraction towards her, and was struggling with this recent development in relation to that.

"Anything else?" she asked. She couldn't even imagine at this point what any of them could have to ask her.

"Thanks for saving our lives," Ron grinned slightly.

"Yeah," Harry laughed, "thanks for that." Hermione joined in with their laughter and hugged them both tightly.

"You're very welcome," she smiled. Things were back to normal as much as possible.

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

The rest of that day passed by fairly quickly. A few order members were in and out to give periodic updates, but very few knew the actual location of the house, and so things were not in quite as much hustle and bustle as Hermione feared. She was exhausted, and so were all the others who partook in the events of the last several days.

Professor Snape was recovering with surprising speed. In mere hours, he was able to get up from the bed, and he joined the rest of the company for dinner. By that time, it was only Hermione, Harry, Ron, Draco, Remus, Tonks, and Kingsley left at Prince Manor with Snape, as well as, of course, Harmony the house elf. As far as Hermione was concerned, however, the most touching scene of the night was shortly before dinner.

"Hermione," Harry had said, "I was serious about owing Professor Snape an apology."

Hermione looked at him questioningly.

"So, erm…" he stuttered, "I was wondering if you might take me to see if…you know…I can talk to him quickly…if he's feeling up to it," he added hastily.

Pleased by the idea and glad to see that Harry was finally maturing past years-old prejudices, she consented to see if he was awake in his room.

"Enter," Professor Snape called when Hermione tapped quietly on the door. She walked in, leaving the door slightly open, and was surprised to see that Snape was sitting at a desk and shuffling through old papers and notes.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him skeptically. He gave the closest thing to a laugh that he ever gave.

"So distrustful of me, Miss Granger! Never fear, I assured Professor Dumbledore that I would remain in bed until I felt up to moving around or until I was ready to tear my hair out from boredom. Such was the case that both were true, and so here I am, getting a head start on improving our recipe for the potion against the killing curse."

Hermione shook her head bemusedly, not surprised. "Harry's here to see you," she said. Snape abruptly stopped flipping through papers and looked up at her. He raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"Oh?" She nodded and gave a half smile. "Well send him in then," he indicated she should open the door.

"Mr. Potter, I trust you are well," he acknowledged his presence in a much more civilized manner than Harry was used to, catching him off of his guard.

"Erm, yes, sir, thank you. You are feeling better as well?"

Snape nodded gravely. "I owe my life to Miss Granger here," he pointed out somberly. "You are lucky to have such a friend at your side," he said pointedly.

Harry looked at Hermione and smiled. She took her cue and left, leaving Harry to speak privately with Snape. As she exited the room, however, she did hear Harry's reply.

"Indeed I am, sir, and I shall be careful never to forget that. I owe her my life too, as I do to you as well."

Hermione wandered down the hallway, not looking for anything in particular, but finding herself outside of Draco's door. She felt bad, realizing how out of place Draco must feel with these Order members, and Harry and Ron who had never liked him anyway. She had been hesitant to suggest they include Draco in their discussions of the last few hours, knowing how Ron felt about it, and unsure if Harry would so quickly overcome years of antagonizing.

She raised a hand to knock on his door, but stopped short when she realized there were voices coming from inside. They were both male and she assumed one was Draco, but she couldn't make the second one out.

She hesitated, unsure whether she should leave him be to whatever discussion he was having, but it turned out to be unnecessary. Seconds later, as she stood there contemplating, the door opened in front of her, and she found herself face-to-face with Remus Lupin.

"Oh!" she said in surprise. "Remus, I was just coming to see if Draco was around…" she trailed off awkwardly, wondering if he thought she'd been eavesdropping. The smile on his face told her otherwise, however. He stood aside, allowing her to enter, where she found Draco perched on the edge of his bed.

"Hey," he smiled wearily at her. "Long day."

"Tell me about it," she sighed and sat next to him. She looked him up and down, noticing the worried expression behind his eyes that he tried to hide from her. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Just tired is all," he replied lamely.

She looked at him mistrustfully. "Why was Remus here?" she asked, suddenly suspicious.

"Just following up on some things," he replied. Again, there was a hint of bitterness to his answer, but not blatantly. Hermione turned and faced him directly, looking him in the eye.

"Draco, what is it?" she asked. "You're upset by something."

He sighed. "No, not exactly, it's just…well, I'm surprised you didn't ask me first, before he did, is all." He looked at her pointedly. She didn't understand.

"I didn't ask you what, Draco?" she asked in confusion. He stared at her for a long moment, and when her face registered no sign of comprehension, he sighed again.

"He was here to ask if there was any possibility that you could be pregnant, Hermione."

She blinked once in surprise.

"I…it never even…I never thought about…I figured…" her mind was working a million miles an hour, trying to figure out how she'd missed that. There was silence for several tense seconds. "Well?" she finally prompted. "Is there?"

"Of course not!" he exclaimed, "I was smarter than that, both times."

"Then what are you worried about?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Because," Draco cried out, "at some point this is all going to catch up with you and you're going to be horrified and what happened. At what I did to you!"

"Draco!" Hermione practically yelled back at him. "Stop! I told you, it doesn't matter to me. You didn't hurt me, you didn't do anything against my will. My choices too, Draco, not just yours."

They stared each other down for several long seconds. Finally, Hermione sighed and checked the time.

"It's time for dinner," she pointed out. "Care to join us?"

Draco stared at her for a few more seconds before smiling lightly. "Crazy Gryffindors," he muttered, but stood up and headed for the door with her.

*********************************SCENE****************************************

**************************ALTERNATE ENDING*********************************

Harry and Ron went to bed early that night. They were still recovering from an even longer duration of imprisonment than Hermione was, and though she was the one who exhausted herself with constant use of occlumency and the façade between her and Snape, as well as the final apparition, they had suffered longer.

Hermione considered bed for a few minutes, but once she was actually in her pajamas and ready for bed, she found she was not tired at all and didn't think she could have slept if she tried. Not wanting to wake anyone else in the household, she meandered up the long, winding staircase to the library. As her head cleared the landing, she was surprised to see someone sitting in a chair opposite the landing. The chair was facing the other way, but, she could see the top of the person's head who was sitting in it. The long black hair was all she needed to tell it was Snape.

She hesitated at the landing. He didn't look busy. In fact, he didn't look like he was even reading anything, and she suddenly wondered if he'd fallen asleep up here. If that were the case, she did not want to disturb him, and so she turned quietly and began to descend the stairs again. She didn't make it far.

"I've not yet lost my finely honed senses of awareness, Miss Granger," Snape called softly to her in a bemused voice.

She turned around once again and walked over to where he was sitting.

"I thought you might have been asleep, Professor," she told him. She took a seat on the couch opposite him and they observed each other for several seconds. There was something different about Snape, but Hermione couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.

After several seconds of silence, Snape addressed her.

"I understand you've finally told Mssrs. Potter and Weasley the whole take, beginning to end," he stated wryly.

"I was proud of Harry today," she retorted good-naturedly. "He showed a greater ability to be mature than I usually see in him. I think you'll agree," she grinned.

"And how did they take the more- delicate- parts of the story?" he asked lightly.

"Honestly," she stated bluntly, "I left as many out as possible." She continued, "I mean, sure, they know we convinced Lucius Malfoy about certain _things_," she emphasized the word, "but I felt no need for specifics. They didn't really need to know that we actually slept in the same bed fairly frequently, or that you've seen more of my bare body than either of them has," she laughed, wondering when exactly it became so easy to speak to Professor Snape. She supposed it had something to do with saving both of each other's lives at this point. It tended to bond people, as it had with her, Harry, and Ron first year after the troll incident.

"But not as much as Draco Malfoy," Snape smirked and raised a semi-suggestive eyebrow at her, and she laughed again.

"Poor Draco," she sighed. "He's so torn and hurt. He was before about so many things between his family, his house, his loyalties, and his beliefs, and now he's convinced that he's committed some unspeakable act against me and I'm hard-pressed to persuade him otherwise."

"I was of the impression that you'd worked through those issues already?" Snape queried lightly.

"So was I!" she explained, frustrated. "But then Remus went to talk to him about it, and now he's back to beating himself up over it!"

Snape frowned. "Lupin usually has better tact than that," he commented.

"I understand though," Hermione conceded, "he was upset when he first found out, no one had mentioned it yet, amazingly. I explained what really happened and he understood, but he was concerned-," she paused. "Well, he was worried I could be pregnant," she blushed. "It's pretty easy to see why he didn't want to ask me in front of Harry and Ron," she said with a grimace.

Snape had the gall to smirk at that comment. "Yes, I'm sure poor Mr. Weasley is in quite a state of agitation at your relationship with his archenemy of six years."

"Relationship isn't really the word," Hermione mused. "We're close, sure. But I fell like we have too many years of animosity built up to do more than spend time getting to really know each other for a while yet. Draco is a great friend, and I think I need to truly appreciate him as that before I could ever even consider anything else."

Snape seemed to mull over that revelation for some time.

"And the events prior to and during your imprisonment…?" he trailed off ambiguously, but Hermione knew what he was asking, even if she didn't know why.

"A necessity," she referred to the former, "and the best possible situation," she referred to the latter. "I had to be prepared for the chance that Lucius or someone like him, not Draco, would be the one." She paused. "I hold no ill will towards Draco for either situation. I wish he'd see that himself. And anyway," she continued, "as for Ron, I feel bad, but sadly, I just do not feel the way about him that he does for me." She shrugged, not really sure why she was talking about all of this.

Snape stood from his chair and came to sit beside Hermione on the couch. His movements were slow and careful, but he seemed none the worse for wear, and a wave of relief swept through Hermione once more.

They sat in comfortable silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts, and Hermione struggled within herself, debating whether to ask the question she had first posed to Dumbledore months ago…

"You seem a tad distracted," Snape murmured, close by her side. This was a different Snape than one she'd yet seen, Hermione realized. This was a free Snape. He had done everything in his power to serve the Order against Voldemort for nearly two decades and now…he was free. A weight seemed to be lifted from him, knowing he was never to be forced to witness or partake in the murder of an innocent muggle, or the rape of a muggle-born witch. He could now devote his time to good in a whole new, behind-the-scenes way, by brewing the potion to stop the _avada kedavra_ curse. If there was ever a time to ask him, this was it.

She started slowly and quietly, staring at her hands folded in her lap.

"I was wondering about something- something I've wanted to ask you for a long time- something I briefly discussed with Professor Dumbledore months ago."

"Oh?" Snape raised his eyebrows, intrigued.

"If you don't want to tell me, that's fine," Hermione hastily interjected, "but it's just something I've been curious about and-," Snape cut her off. He placed a hand under her chin and brought her face up so he could meet her eyes.

"What is it, Miss Granger?"

She took a deep breath. "Why did Professor Dumbledore want you to put memories involving me into a pensieve?" she finally blurted. "Even though you re trusted with the deepest secrets of the Order around You-Know-Who all the time?"

Snape was silent for several seconds and Hermione was afraid she'd angered him.

"What did Professor Dumbledore tell you?" he asked, his voice low and even.

Hermione shrugged a bit uncomfortably.

"He said," she began softly, "that it was a different kind of secret than those you'd been keeping for the Order. That you'd allowed yourself to become closer to me than anyone else in a very long time," she murmured. "And I was just wondering…why?"

There was a long silence. Hermione was tense and nervous, and pondered jumping up and dashing back to her room, embarrassed for asking in the first place.

"I'm sorry," she eventually broke the silence. "I should never had asked that, it's a very personal question, it's okay if you don't want-," Snape held up a hand to silence the tirade.

"I wasn't aware that you knew about that," he stated. Hermione looked sheepish.

"It was Harry and Ron's fault- they overheard something you were talking to Professor Dumbledore about at Grimmauld Place- something about him being worried about You-Know-Who seeing me in your mind."

"I recall that conversation well," Snape told her.

"I never asked before," Hermione explained, "because I was afraid it would upset you since he _did_ see me, and then we were working together so much…" she stopped, unsure if she should say the next part. Now or never, though, right? "And…it didn't seem right to ask you while you were my professor," she murmured. "But since you're not really anymore…I figured I'd…ask."

Snape appraised her, wondering if he ought to tell her the whole story, the truth- the reason Dumbledore had feared for the security of his mind since that day in the summer…

"_It's been two hours, Severus," Dumbledore gently called to him as he slept in a spare bedroom in Grimmauld Place, following his arrival with half-bandaged wounds a few hours prior. He had gotten his wand wrist healed properly and the other wounds checked over before nearly collapsing in weariness, at which point Dumbledore had insisted he lay down for an hour or so. He'd fallen asleep, and Dumbledore knew he didn't want to stay too late into the morning. _

_Snape twitched, startled. He looked perplexed for a moment before recalling where he was and why he was there. His vision clouded over for a second; he seemed to be recalling something, and then he looked troubled. _

"_Everything alright, my boy?" Dumbledore queried, worried. _

"_Perfect," Snape stated wryly, standing up to take his leave. Had Dumbledore been here the whole time he slept? _

"_You haven't spoken of Lily in many years now, Severus," Dumbledore said quietly. _

_Snape's face paled. He remembered his dreams. But how did Dumbledore…?_

"_You kept calling to her in your sleep," Dumbledore told him softly._

_Snape grunted and dragged himself from the bed. He didn't particularly feel the need for the lecture about the ghosts of his past just because of one…or two…silly dreams. _

"_Perhaps you were right, Severus. Perhaps it was a mistake to leave Miss Granger with you this summer, alone in that big house."_

_Snape spun on the spot, angry and perturbed. "And what, pray tell, does _she_ have to do with anything?" he growled. _

_Dumbledore looked sad. "Severus, I've seen the similarities between her and Lily Evans for a long time now. It was foolish of me not to realize that you would do the same, especially with little company but each other." _

_Snape was astounded, and more than a little irritated. "Albus, don't think I don't know my own place as a professor in school or out, or my own limitations as a man, regardless how similar that _girl_ may be to another we once knew," he winced, the words even sounding harsh in his own ears. To his chagrin, Dumbledore chuckled, his eyes twinkling. _

"_Oh, dear me, Severus," he exclaimed, "you misunderstand me completely! Of course I have perfect faith in you and your judgment, I didn't mean to insult you in such a manner. However, I begin to fear what emotional effect she might have on you." Snape raised an eyebrow at this. "In so many years of knowing you, I have never encountered your mind so unguarded and open as it was while you slept, and it worries me," he paused. "Perhaps a pensieve would not be a bad idea," he suggested quietly. _

_Snape laughed derisively. "In seventeen years, never once have I slipped, my occlumency skills are too finely honed for such a mistake. And to suggest that she might be the cause of it...it's absurd," he concluded. _

"_Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, Severus," Dumbledore said quietly. "If he entertains even the slightest thought that she's with you, the consequences for our side will be dire." _

"_I've already made my mistakes, and they were a long time ago," Snape said. He rose. "And now, I must be returning, I have some things to take care." _

"_Just think on it, Severus…" _

Hermione listened to this tale quietly and calmly, keeping her gaze fixed anywhere but Snape's face. Deep in the recesses of her mind, she'd suspected something like this…but she'd never dared to entertain those thoughts much past the onset. There was silence for some time once Snape concluded. Both were overly engrossed in their thoughts. Finally, one pressing question couldn't keep itself contained within Hermione any longer.

"Lily," she said quietly, fearing even the mention to be a source of pain. "Harry's mom?"

Snape sighed. "Yes. We were friends, before she'd ever even set eyes on James Potter, years before she ever had a civil conversation with him. We grew up in the same town. And the more involved I became with the young supporters of the Dark Lord, the more she drew away. And the more she drew away…the more I fell in love." Hermione found her eyes were wet, but she couldn't remember when she started crying. "Only the Dark Lord's threat against her was able to drive me back to Dumbledore, pleading to save her life. When they placed their trust in Pettigrew," he spat the name bitterly, "and she died, I agreed to devote my life to protecting her sacrifice. It is for her that I am here, and it is for her that I have watched over Potter, Weasley, and yourself more carefully than you realize."

Hermione mulled this over. "I'm not surprised," she said slowly. "I guess I always suspected something like that on some level," she mused. She paused and finally turned to look at Snape. He was watching her closely, trying to gauge her reaction and emotions at all. She wasn't giving much away.

"You're surprisingly calm about all of this," Snape said suspiciously. "It doesn't bother you?"

Hermione struggled for the words. "You and I…we've been through a lot together this past year," she managed. "For good and for bad. And, to finally better understand what you've been going through at the same time, the sacrifices you've made…how could I possibly begrudge you any of that?" She took a deep breath. "I was serious when I said I didn't want to bring this up when you were still my professor. Because I wondered if it was something like this, I didn't want an innocent conversation to turn into any kind of difficult situation for you, as my professor or me, as your student. But now…now that you really _can't_ be my professor, at least not for a while…if there's anything you want to say, I'm listening with all my heart," she finished quietly, more tears falling slowly down her cheeks.

Snape slowly reached out a hand and cupped her face. She closed her eyes, the intensity of emotions overwhelming her. He gently stroked her cheek with his thumb, wiping up the moisture which ran down it.

"Why are you crying?" he sounded genuinely curious, yet choked up with passion.

Hermione let out a strangled sounding laugh. "I don't know!" she exclaimed. "I'm just so overwhelmed with everything this past day. Fear for you and Harry and Ron, happiness that you survived, frustration with Draco…and now this…"

"Hermione," Snape implored, "I haven't let myself feel emotion for another human being since Lily died, until you came so abruptly to be a big part of my life. But now that you're here…all I worry about is not making the same mistakes I did with her. I care for you too much."

He brought his other hand to hold the other side of her face. Moving ever so slowly, giving her any chance to pull away, to say no, he moved his own face closer and closer until his lips met hers in the gentlest manner she could have imagined possible. She was frozen, unable to think clearly, unable to react in any way whatsoever.

It was the briefest of kisses. He pulled away from her, afraid he'd gone too far. A whole mess of emotions was dancing across her face. He sought out her eyes and held them. Gradually, she calmed and her eyes looked…content.

She brought her own arms up to his neck and stayed there for some seconds, staring into his eyes. They were not the cold, steely obsidian she'd most often seen before; they were like flowing pools of dark water, hope, happiness, longing, doubt all swimming in them as she watched him.

He lowered his head again, and this time she met him halfway. The kiss was filled with passion, and neither let the other pull away. They held each other like that for a long time, lips moving against one another, tongues barely teasing the other as they darted out to taste the lips and then retreated…

Finally, Snape broke away.

"Hermione…" he gasped for breath. "I think…" she silenced him with a finger to his lips.

"I know," she whispered. "I know it's not this easy. But don't you think we can just have this night, carefree? Don't we owe that to ourselves, and to one another?"

His reply was to lower her down gently on to the couch, stroking her face, murmuring in her ear, kissing her face. And that was where they spent the night in each other's arms.

At the bottom of the spiral staircase leading up to the library, Albus Dumbledore smiled to himself. _Really,_ he thought, _for all Severus prides himself on his well-tuned senses…"_ he chuckled aloud and took his leave.

But only after casting a charm to ensure others wouldn't enter the library until Hermione and Severus departed it.

*********THE END************THE END*************THE END***************

**So there it is…significantly longer, actually. I really did enjoy writing it, even if it's not what I wanted, lol. I think it's so much longer because I felt like I had to have Snape account for everything and show his own inner battle…the inner battle that was still present in ending #1, but never came to confrontation as it did in this one. **

**Well I have a feeling that most people like this ending better. :-P But please, let me know what you like or don't like about both of them…which do you actually prefer? **

**I found parts of this one to be cliché and kind of corny…but I wasn't really sure how to get around them. So this is the best I came up with in a small amount of time. Like I said, I did tackle this project just as whole-heartedly as any other chapter.**

**Thanks once more for all of you who have encouraged me through this story. I hope those of you who asked for an alternate ending are satisfied. **

**Someone suggested a sequel…not sure if I'm up to it, but maybe someday soon, my mind will go awandering and I'll be forced to follow… as you can imagine, I'm already wondering some of the things you are…what happens with Hermione and (Draco or Severus, lol), what happens to Voldemort…so we shall see. **

**Much love to you all, and please let me know what you think! **

***~Lexi~***


	37. Epilogue

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it belongs to JK Rowling. Plots are mine, of course.

A/N: Well, I think I've finally decided that it's time for a sequel. I'm sure it will be slow going at first. Its exam time soon, papers abound. But summer will start and, while about half of it will be spent with limited computer access, it will give me plenty of writing time. In any case, this will be posted as both an epilogue to my story **Changes in Heart** and the Prologue of my new story **What Once Was**. Do enjoy. And please, if you're stumbling upon this as a new story, check out the prequel (a lot of stuff here probably won't make much sense without the background)- if you're reading this as the end of Changes in Heart, add the new story to your alerts!

A/N 2: A difficult decision to make, but I shall have to continue this story from the original ending of Changes in Heart, not the alternate. Just be warned, but don't lose faith. ;-)

**Epilogue/Prologue of the soon-to-be-begun sequel**

Severus Snape was dead.

It was a purposefully vague and abbreviated speech which Dumbledore gave to the Hogwarts staff and students. _Severus Snape was a great potions master, and he'd taught scores of students in the precise and exact art that is potion-brewing for some fifteen years. He will be missed. _It was a very detached- even cold- sounding speech and most attributed it to shock over the sudden demise of his long-time colleague.

Many of the Slytherins knew better, however.

Professor Snape had been murdered by the Dark Lord for failing him so epically in regards to Hermione Granger, murdered because he would no longer serve a purpose to the Dark Lord, murdered because Potter and Weasley would have turned him in anyway for his abuses. In other words, he had worn out his usefulness, and those who were not useful to the Dark Lord were disposed of; particularly those who knew as much as Severus Snape.

Of course Dumbledore wouldn't say all of this- he must have been hard-pressed as it was to keep Potter and Weasley silent and allow him to deliver a eulogy not tainted by the horrible deeds of the now-dead man. Parents would panic, withdraw their children from Hogwarts, if such a thing became known. With Snape dead and gone, all that was left was to silence Granger, Potter, and Weasley, and the school could run as close to normal as ever. Yes, Dumbledore could be manipulative in his own way.

The school observed a minute of respectful silence, though few could be observed to be physically upset. A couple of the teachers appeared distraught or teary-eyed. Students were shocked more than anything else.

Draco stood in the center of a group of older Slytherin students, those with close ties to the Dark Lord. He'd become even more of a legend or hero since his father pulled him out of school a week earlier to partake- in the most disgusting of senses, in Draco's opinion- in the downfall of Potter and his friends. News had quickly spread among them of his participation, though they dared not be too vocal about it- it was obvious that Draco was walking a thin line with Dumbledore between following the Dark Lord and protecting his own life by obeying him and his father.

Draco looked up, instinctively but subtly searching for Hermione in the crowd of Gryffindors before stopping himself, realizing that she wouldn't be there. Obviously she would not attend the brief service for the one who had so abused her over the past school years, and the rest of the Slytherins assumed it was all just a part of Dumbledore's plan to keep Snape's real role a secret from parents- why risk a scene? Potter and Weasley were likewise missing in order to avoid spilling the truth. He didn't know if any of them had even returned to Hogwarts yet.

It was a very brief speech, and the crowd dispersed, students muttering speculatively to each other about Professor Snape. Draco barely paid attention to the words of his classmates around him. Instead, he made for the staircase to go up, rather than towards the dungeons.

"Draco, where are you going?" Pansy called after him.

"I have to write a letter to my father," Draco said in as meaningful a voice as he could muster. Pansy and Blaise smiled knowingly as him and continued on their way to the Slytherin common room.

Rather than proceed to the owlery, Draco made his way to the Room of Requirement on the seventh floor. Once inside, he grabbed a fistful of floo powder- conveniently waiting on the mantle of the conveniently-placed fireplace- and stepped into the empty hearth. Throwing down the powder and yelling, "Snape's office," Draco disappeared into the flourish of green flames, sucked nauseatingly into the expansive floo network of Hogwarts.

Feeling himself start to slow down, Draco braced himself for the sudden expulsion from the fireplace in Snape's office, and he was not disappointed. He often suspected that Snape charmed it to spit people out unceremoniously, just to give him some amusement. He had never asked, however, if this was indeed the case.

He proceeded through a large oak door beyond Snape's desk, taking in the bareness of the surroundings. It certainly hadn't taken long to clear out the office, and it just wasn't the same place without an assortment of pickled things lining the walls.

In the small sitting room beyond the office, Draco was faced with a choice of doors. There were two bedrooms, he knew; a kitchen; and, of course, the discreet entrance into Snape's private potions lab. Figuring the latter destination to be more likely, Draco pushed open the door gently- and was not disappointed.

"Draco!" He smiled faintly as her mussed brown hair popped out from behind a large box of ingredients. "You're just in time!"

"In time for what?" he asked with an amused air of suspicion.

A low, silky voice came from behind, startling him.

"The celebration of my departure from Hogwarts, of course."

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

"It's weird, Harry."

"I know, Ron, I know, but there's nothing we can do about it. She's made her choices."

"Yeah, but Malfoy and Snape? I mean, it's…"

"Weird?"

"Yes!" Ron was oblivious to Harry's gently mocking tone.

"Look, Ron," Harry said in a placating voice, "I reckon it's like Remus said; we're jealous or something. No," he added at the look on Ron's face, "not at being 'friends' with Snape and Malfoy, but at having a secret project to be working on, being in the thick of things."

The two were sitting in Snape's parlor back at the manor or Woodyshire Lane. They still found it relatively awkward to be given free reign over Snape's personal space, but Hermione's extensive knowledge of the place made them more at ease. Now she wasn't there though, and they sat awkwardly, awaiting the return of Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall, so they could discuss exactly what they were to do for the remainder of the term. There were still nearly two months technically until summer holiday, but many Order members had expressed concern about the vulnerability of the three, especially now that Snape was no longer a source of information about Voldemort's plans. He would be furious and even more desperate after his latest failure and humiliation- defeat by a seventeen-year-old mudblood girl.

Ron's current state of disgruntlement was due to Hermione's absence. She had gone back to Hogwarts at the same time as Professors Dumbledore and Snape to help pack up Snape's potions lab while Dumbledore was telling the rest of the school about the sad news of Snape's demise the previous day. It was decided that this would be the best line of attack for now. Snape could lay low until the surprise of his survival could do the most damage.

He had made a fantastically fast recovery, nearly completely back to normal within just twenty-four hours of receiving the strengthening draught from Hermione. She had protested when he appeared at breakfast that morning, insisting that he remove all of his things from Hogwarts before any students or other professors found their way into his secure things- and there were definitely things there that merited secrecy. They had compromised, however, with Snape agreeing that she could help and oversee the process whilst Snape took care of some of the more volatile potions and ingredients.

So here they were, an hour later, waiting on the 'committee,' as Harry had begun to refer to it, which would decide the course of action to take regarding the three and their return to Hogwarts. Personally, he disagreed with the very notion that they should remain in hiding, but enough worry was present for him to be shushed and a meeting called for.

"So Hermione and Malfoy…?" Ron didn't finish the question. He'd voiced it enough over the past day that Harry knew what he meant. "Really?"

"Yup."

"You think they're like…a thing?"

Harry laughed. "Dating?" he asked incredulously. "No. Definitely not. How could they anyway?"

Ron nodded, but didn't look convinced. He was spared having to think on it any harder by the sudden arrival of three figures: Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Lupin.

"Where's Hermione?" Ron asked Dumbledore.

Dumbledore smiled kindly at him, hint of a twinkle in his eyes. "Fear not, the task of clearing out Severus's potions lab will undoubtedly keep even the two working together quite busy for some time. In any case, she has given us permission to commence without her."

Ron muttered under his breath. Harry couldn't be sure, but it sounded like he said, "It's weird, Harry…"

SCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENESCENE

"I really should head back to the common room soon," Draco said ruefully. Hermione pulled him into a tight embrace.

"I know," she murmured. "But this sucks."

He chuckled mirthlessly. "That's an understatement."

"We won't get to work together anymore. Ever. It'll be much too risky to even try a brief time together in the Room of Requirement. There are just too many students who would be more than happy to spy on either one of us. Too much hangs in the balance, now more than ever."

"And you might not even be coming back to Hogwarts," Draco pointed out quietly.

Hermione sighed. "I doubt it. I mean, it's just a victory for Voldemort if we appear so scared as to send Harry Potter into permanent hiding."

"Yeah, well we'll see." They stood quietly for a long moment, looking intently at each other.

"Take care of yourself," Draco finally managed.

"You too," she choked out. "Keep a low profile."

He grinned. "You definitely have to worry more about _that_ than I do."

She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Goodbye, Draco."

Once he had gone, she returned to the lab to check up on Snape's progress. Grabbing one of the remaining butter beers from their brief 'festivities,' she proceeded to down it faster than usual.

"Careful, Miss Granger," Snape warned amusedly, "even humans can be adversely affected by too much butter beer too quickly." He analyzed her distant expression and ascertained the problem quickly.

"It is a shame that you will not be able to see as much of Draco," he offered knowingly. Hermione spun to look at him.

"What?" she demanded before catching herself, realizing that her depressive state was getting the better of her. "Sorry…I mean, yeah. We've become rather close, working together here and whatnot. So it's hard, realizing that we won't really be able to have a normal relationship for some time again now."

"Well," Snape returned, "if there's one thing I know about sorrow, it's that trying to drown it in butter beer is NOT the solution."

"Really?" Hermione smiled wryly. "What is?"

"Come with me."

SCENESCENESCENESCENE

"Wow that burns," Hermione gasped.

"Firewhiskey is not for the fainthearted," Snape told her sardonically. "Think you're up to facing the jury?"

"After that, I can handle anything."

"Come then- we should return to discuss what is to become of you."

**A/N: So there's my (short) epilogue/prologue. I know, not much happens…but it shall segue nicely into a new adventure I daresay. :-) **

**Like I said, go back and read the prequel, or go add the new story WHAT ONCE WAS if you're reading this as the end of CHANGES IN HEART. **

**Cheers!**


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